Why Protemo?
Pride, fear, anxiety, hope, anger, satisfaction, disgust: the impact of emotions on current politics in democracies is far-reaching. This is no less true when it comes to policies that political actors communicate as providing security and protection to citizens, referred to as 'protective policies.' What role do emotions play in this context, and what does this mean for our democratic systems? Coordinated by Saarland University, Germany, the EU-funded research project 'PROTEMO' brings together eight international institutions to enhance our understanding of how emotions matter for policy-making in an age of misinformation and insecurity.
PROTEMO is an inclusive project and does not endorse the political views of any individual institution composing the consortium. The consortium condemns all forms of violence and repudiates the use of science for political manipulation and oppression.
Under the coordination of our esteemed colleague Prof. Moshe Maor, Reichman University, Israel is a partner institution of PROTEMO. Reichman University is the only private university in Israel, and as such, acts in complete independence from the Israeli (and any other) governments - under the principles of academic freedom and the Israeli Declaration of Independence. As such, the university has openly criticised the Israeli government's Constitutional Law Reforms. PROTEMO's focus includes research into how and why different groups of citizens and non-citizens feel un/protected. The participation of citizens and, in particular, non-citizens is sought through an ethical and non-extractivist approach that seeks to account for and value contributions even when they contradict dominant narratives. The research produced by the team, coordinated by Prof. Moshe Maor, will seek to reach out to all groups in society, including Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. Steps will be taken to ensure that research participants are not put at direct or indirect risk, and that their contributions are valued. As an independent research project PROTEMO does not share ongoing research data with any third parties. All dissemination activities are open to the general public and available on our website.
Perspectives
on PROTEMO