EDITORS
• Luca De Biase, Nòva - Innovation Sector Il Sole 24 Ore (Italy)
• Stefano Moriggi, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy)
• Stefano Pasta, Catholic University of Milan (Italy)
• Pier Cesare Rivoltella, University of Bologna (Italy)
• Loris Vezzali, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy)

---

IMPORTANT DATE
Initial manuscripts due from November 17, 2025 til February 15, 2026
Full Issue published within 30 April 2026

---

Download the Call for paper

---

ATTENTION!
• Follow the Author Guidelines on how to write a paper and on the paper format.
• A post-acceptance pre-publishing fee of 150 euros.
• The journal publishes in open access.
• Publication will follow an "online first" approach.

---

Until the end of the call submissions (15 February 2026), submissions for the permanent call are suspended.

Papers outside the call will not be accepted.

In the meantime, papers submitted before 16 November 2025 will be processed and peer reviewed.

---

Reflection on the relationship between freedom of expression and the protection of individuals is one of the most sensitive and controversial issues in contemporary debate. Political, cultural and technological changes, together with social and global conflicts, contribute to continually redefining the boundaries of what is perceived as acceptable or, conversely, as hate speech. In particular, the digital media environment can amplify and transform these dynamics, altering conceptual distances and social relationships, and raising new questions about individual and collective responsibility. The historicity and variability of forms of expression pose new challenges for research, which is called upon to examine phenomena such as the redefinition of satire, the mutation of exclusion practices, the vulnerability of victims and the role of technological systems in the production and dissemination of content, and the normalisation of practices of violence and disinformation. The topic is now crucially important not only for understanding how hate manifests itself, but also for identifying the common values that are being challenged and for developing tools for analysis, prevention and counteraction.
This call therefore aims to gather contributions that, from different disciplinary and methodological perspectives, address the complexity of the relationships between hate speech, freedom of expression and social change, with particular attention to the role of technology and digital platforms.

TOPICS

• How to quantify the spread of hate speech from era to era, in the digital context and beyond.
• How the definitions of “hate speech” change in (geo-political) space and time.
• How and why the boundaries between “hate speech” and “freedom of expression” change.
• How changes in political and technological power can (and/or will) influence the definitions of “hate speech” and “freedom of expression”.
• What happens to victims. How they react. Do they give up their freedom of expression and withdraw from social life, organise themselves, fight back, or something else?
• The possible role of technology (and recommendation systems in particular) in the spread but also in the prevention of hate speech.
• The use of artificial intelligence to organise and produce hate speech.
• The use of artificial intelligence to moderate or counter hate speech.
• Educational methodologies, tools and case history for contrasting hate speech culture.
• Typical forms of hate speech and variations in their acceptability over time and across cultures.
• Hate speech and minors: from bullying to access bans.
• Hate speech and war strategy.
• Diverse methodological approaches and case studies in the detection of hate speech.