Call for Book Chapters
[Working Title] Navigating European values under pressure
Quandt Markus, Lomazzi Vera, Kizilova Kseniya, Comanaru Ruxandra (Eds)
Following up on the conference “Navigating Values Under Pressure” organized on November 8, 2024 by the European Values Study (EVS) in cooperation with World Values Survey (WVS) and European Social Survey (ESS), we would like to build on that work with an edited volume covering a wide range of topics discussed during the conference. We aim to publish the book in the European Values Series, an open-access book series published by Tilburg University Open Press. This publication will be free of charge for authors. Books of the European Values Series are freely available for download and printed copies are available on demand. Importantly, this call is not limited to the past EVS-WVS-ESS conference participants, and new contributions are expressly invited.
European societies are facing increasing uncertainty about their future. Long-standing expectations for sustained economic prosperity, expanding individual freedoms, physical well-being, political stability, and security from military threats have been undermined by a series of economic crises, a global pandemic, worsening climate change, and military aggression in European neighbourhood.
These major changes in both personal and collective circumstances have influenced social and political preferences, contributing to a declining trust in traditional institutions and the rise of populist parties and leaders. This raises a critical question for social researchers: Are core values –typically formed during youth and considered stable over a lifetime-now undergoing significant change as well?
Values are widely understood as belief systems that guide behaviour and establish moral boundaries for social and political attitudes. While values are mostly stable, their change typically occurs gradually through generational shifts. Conversely, shared societal values can act as a buffer against rapid attitudinal shifts – potentially with both positive or negative effects. For instance, the value of universalism might reinforce liberal democracy, while materialism values could slow progress on climate action.
The severity of the recent, ongoing, and likely future, changes in political, economic, and environmental conditions raises a critical question: How stable are established values in reality, and to what extent do they constrain short-term attitudes and preferences? Cross-national longitudinal studies –such as the EVS, WVS, and ESS, along with other surveys- provide rich data to explore these questions.
We invite book chapter proposals addressing the following key questions:
- Can we already observe value change that occurs faster than generational replacement would predict?
- What is the baseline for future value changes, given the current and anticipated political, economic and changes?
- How strong is the relationship between foundational values and political or social attitudes, especially in times of societal crisis and stress?
We also welcome other contributions using EVS, WVS, and ESS data, regardless of the specific topical area, that allow taking stock of European societies in advance of the new data collection waves of the values studies.
Those willing to submit a proposal should provide by 31.05.2025 an abstract of no more than 500 words
in which the following points should be clear:
- Research question
- Data source
- Analytical approach
- (preliminary) results
The abstract should be completed by a (working) title and at least four keywords and sent to europeanvalues.series@gmail.com
Timeline
| Deadline for abstract submission | May 31, 2025 |
| Communication to authors | June 30, 2025 |
| Meeting/workshop to discuss first draft (v1) | November 25, 2025 |
| Submission chapters (v2) | February 28 , 2026 |
| Internal review process (authors review other chapters or suggest reviewers) | March/April 2026 |
| Authors submit revised chapters (v3) | June2026 |
| Submit the book to publisher | July 2026 |
Entries are expected to be within 6,000-8,000 words (including footnotes, tables, and references).