The CONCORDIA Project is a research project funded by the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture and Universities of the Valencian Government, within the framework of the call for grants for Consolidated Research Groups (AICO), by resolution of 27 June 2025. The Research Group “Concordia, Law and Society” at Miguel Hernández University of Elche has demonstrated a strong track record of research activity, which is further strengthened by this ambitious project. Its central objective is to investigate the causes of the discord currently observed in Spanish politics, the extent to which there is a risk that this situation may spread to other areas of society, and the most appropriate means of restoring the spirit of concord that characterised Spain’s transition to democracy.

The project adopts an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together several fields of knowledge (Law, Political Science and Journalism), structured around six central objectives. The first involves a theoretical approach to the concept of “concord”, seeking to examine its origins in classical thought in order to establish criteria for identifying which ideas, policies or behaviours foster discord within society. The second objective focuses on the relationship between concord and Law, paying particular attention to the degradation of the law, which in many cases is no longer oriented towards the common good. The third objective aims to examine the impact of digital power on the prevailing climate of discord, given that new technologies and the strategies of major technology companies are transforming the ways in which people interact. The fourth objective starts from the premise that the media play a fundamental role in promoting concord, given their responsibility for transmitting truthful information; analysing their performance in the current context is therefore essential to restoring concord. The fifth objective seeks to examine whether so-called “hate speech” should be regarded as a threat to concord or, conversely, whether it enriches public debate, despite generating disagreement and intense controversy. Finally, the sixth objective focuses on political polarisation stricto sensu, with the aim of investigating its deeper causes and determining the extent to which they reflect a national crisis and/or a crisis of the model of the State.