Call for Book Chapters Proposals: "Democratic Mutations: Between Power Mechanisms and Emergent Forms of Political Care".

The contemporary political scenario is marked by extremism and the increasing vulnerability of democratic systems. This volume seeks to explore potential transformations of political organization, which is deeply imbued with the Leviathanic tendencies of the modern state. Hence, there has been growing interest in recent decades regarding the mutation and coexistence of biopolitics and thanatopolitics within state structures. This analysis coincides with the search for alternatives that might address the latent Leviathanic mechanisms of the modern state. These factors illuminate the paradox in which contemporary democratic institutions find themselves: they contain a constitutive void while facing various forms of extremism that traditional political language can no longer adequately address.

Within this context, this book explores alternatives based on community mechanisms rather than inclusive exclusion and neoliberal dispositifs. The community approach is essential as we propose to challenge the individualistic paradigm that has undermined social relations. However, we also intend to transcend traditional dichotomies, such as communism-capitalism, by exploring new forms of organization that move beyond the same ideological extremes that have led us to our current situation.

Keywords: communitarian democracy, biopolitics, thanatopolitics, Leviathanic state, contemporary extremisms, immunization paradigm, political institutions

This book seeks to examine the following topics:

• The paradoxical and democratic vacuum in the age of extremisms
• The mutation and coexistence between the biopolitical and thanatopolitical dispositifs in the contemporary State
• Alternatives to the Leviathanic tendency of the State
• Transformations of biopolitical devices in community contexts
• New forms of articulation between democracy and community

Contributions may address topics such as:

• The relationship between biopolitics and thanatopolitics in State structures
• Critique of the Leviathanic tendency of the modern State
• New models of democratic community organization
• Overcoming the capitalism/communism dichotomy
• Forms of resistance to state thanatopolitics
• The analysis of community democracy
• Alternatives to the Leviathanic State
• Theoretical analysis of the biopolitical-thanatopolitical mutation
• Case studies of State transformations
• Proposed corrections to the Leviathanic State tendencies
• Proposed new models for political organizations
• Transitioning Leviathanic States into a care-based model

Target Audience:

• Academics in political philosophy, political theory, and democratic studies
• Researchers and academics in gender studies and feminist theory
• PhD candidates in political science and philosophy

Dates of Interest:

• Proposal submission deadline: 27 June 2025
• Acceptance notification: 5 September 2025
• Chapter submission (6,000-8,000 words): 19 December 2025

All proposals must include:

• Title
• Abstract (500 words)
• Five keywords
• Brief academic biography (200 words)
• Personal information: Name, email address, and academic affiliation

Edited by Marie Lépinoux (University of Murcia)

All proposals must be sent to: marie.lepinoux@um.es