Workshop | Bias and Extremism: Interrupting Conflict In the Election Cycle

Election years always elevate political divisions and potential flashpoints. Recent election cycles have been seen bias play a major role, including racism, sexism, antisemitism, and xenophobia. Some of this is driven by the “usual suspects,” like organized hate groups, but much is the result emotional responses to a rapidly changing social landscape that frames a wide range of factors, from pronouns to new technologies, as disrupting the known social order. This presentation focuses on three aspects of the historical moment we are in; 1) social changes that push people towards bias and extremist positions, 2) the threat presented by extremists who have exploited these changes, and 3) techniques available to de-escalate bias-motivated conflicts, including the utilization of credible messengers. Dr. Blazak has worked in the area for over 30 years and will be utilizing his current work with the federally funded Cure-PNW project.

Randall Blazak has been the chair of Oregon’s Coalition Against Hate Crimes since 2002 and is a globally recognized expert on bias crimes and extremism. Blazak earned his PhD at Emory University in 1995 after completing an extensive field study of racist skinheads that included undercover observations and interviews across the world. He became a tenured sociology professor at Portland State University and teaches sociology classes at the University of Oregon and Portland Community College. He serves as the vice-chair of Oregon’s Department of Justice Steering Committee on Bias Crimes and Incidents and is currently a subject matter expert on a federally funded grant to develop community based responses to violent extremism called Cure-PNW.

Read more about Randall and his work at www.randyblazak.com