Over the past decade, democracy has been under siege in Europe and the United States. The disruptions caused by the rise of polarization and radical right forces, triggered by economic instability, demographic shifts, and technological change represent deep challenges to the basic patterns of democratic governance that we have taken for granted for decades. The disruptions bind the transatlantic world together and raise fundamental questions: How should we understand this tumult? What is causing it? What are the responses to it? These questions have given rise to shared and parallel debates about the promise and peril of democracy across Europe and in the United States.
The Democracy and its Critics Initiative was launched by the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES) to focus on both the history and contemporary shape of democracy in Europe, and provide a platform for events, conferences, and research on these pressing issues.
The first event will launch on September 19 with a keynote address by CES Senior Fellow Michael Ignatieff, who will deliver the inaugural Václav Havel Lecture on Human Rights, Civil Society and Democracy. This new lecture series is made possible by a gift from the Sekyra Foundation (for details, see below).
Later this year, the Center will also host a series entitled “Questions of Fascism and Democracy,” which will be co-chaired by CES Resident Faculty Peter Gordon & CES Director Daniel Ziblatt. The series will host the following speakers:
This series is a CES-wide initiative, and we welcome proposals, suggestions, and collaborations from anyone in the CES community. Please contact the Center Directors Daniel Ziblatt and Elaine Papoulias.
Václav Havel Lecture on Human Rights, Civil Society and Democracy & The Democracy and Its Critics Initiative — Liberalism from One Generation to the Next: The Politics of Hope in an Age of Fear
European Union Seminar & The Democracy and Its Critics Initiative — More Bark than Bite? The Far Right and Foreign Policy in Europe
The Democracy and Its Critics Initiative & The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability — A Discussion with Luisa Neubauer – Climate Change, Democracy and Grass Roots Organizing
