The course covers questions about ontological security and uncertainty in relation to the emergence of radical and populist parties and organisations, and illiberal or authoritarian regimes, Brexit and increased nationalism, mainly in a West-European context. Both normative and empirical questions are discussed.

The course addresses the following types of questions: 

• Which expressions does the emerging uncertainty take in Europe today, and why?
• Which discourses and practices do actors use, and which logics of security do they relate to?
• What explains the success of populist an authoritarian parties in many European countries?
• Is it possible to justify closed borders and increased security control from a normative point of view, and if so how?