Recent political ruptures around the globe have led to uncertainty in the future of national state structures and their ability to represent twenty-first century public interests. Mass migration, uneven globalisation, climate change, and the rise of new technologies and marketplaces place pressure on Western democratic institutions and liberal societies to adapt. These shifts are also occurring in a period of declining public trust in political representatives and the corporate sector following the global financial crisis and recent Russian interference in the United States democratic process.

In Europe, the UK’s Brexit decision in 2016 reflected a widespread rejection of mainstream British politics and its metropolitan elite in favour of right-wing, populist ideologies. Similarly, in the United States, President Trump’s agenda of economic and populist nationalism marks a disconnection between democratic structures and notions of ‘freedom’. These socio-political contexts have had implications within the academy too, as universities have come under media attack for restricting students’ intellectual freedom. Earlier this year, universities across the country pledged to provide clearer rules to protect free speech and open debate on campuses, after former Universities Minister, Jo Johnson, claimed that universities were, "undermining the principle of free speech" (BBC, 2018).

In light of these changes, the second annual Journal of Languages, Texts and Society conference aims to critically explore pertinent socio-political issues and their cultural representations.