Colloquium: "Illiberal democracy? Reconciling Liberalism and Democracy Today"

Saturday, April 28, 2018 10:00 am – 5:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 
Bard College Berlin
Around the globe, authoritarian and “illiberal” trends are on the rise – both in fragile and seemingly robust democracies. There is growing concern about how this relates to processes of globalisation. In a three-panel colloquium, international scholars from a variety of disciplines will address the tensions between liberalism and democracy. They will explore such “illiberal” models in different parts of the world, and address their theoretical and historical background and the structural relationships between them.
How does the perceived failure of liberal policies and institutions in one region impact the global standing of liberal democracy? Is there an identifiable set of ways to stem the rising tide of “illiberal democracy”? The panels will reflect on the experience of the Arab Spring and its impact on established views of democratisation, and will also focus on the current state of liberalism and democracy in the North-Atlantic world. 

Organized by Bard College Berlin in collaboration with the Hertie School of Governance

27 April, 12.30pm
Location: Hertie School of Governance, Friedrichstrasse 180, Berlin-Mitte - Forum, 1st floor 

Prior registration required: [email protected]

Keynote: Claus Offe (Hertie School)
Welcome by Helmut Anheier (Hertie School)
RSVP: [email protected]

28 April, 10.00am - 5.00pm | Bard College Berlin, Platanenstr. 98a, Berlin-Pankow

Panel discussions
No prior registration necessary
With:
  • Ewa Atanassow (Bard College Berlin)
  • Kerry Bystrom (Bard College Berlin)
  • Amr Hamzawy (Stanford University; via videoconference)
  • Jonathan Hopkin (London School of Economics)
  • Anna-Bettina Kaiser (Humboldt Universität)
  • Ira Katznelson (Columbia University)
  • Christian Lammert (Freie Universität)
  • Christine Landfried (Universität Hamburg/Hertie School)
  • Nil Mutluer (Humboldt Universität)
  • Yassin al-Haj Saleh (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin)
  • Elena Stavrevska (Bard College Berlin)
  • Boris Vormann (Bard College Berlin)
  • Michael Weinman (Bard College Berlin)

9.30am
Refreshments

10.00am
Welcome
Catherine Toal (Bard College Berlin)

10.15 - 11.45am
Session 1 - Conceptual and Historical Perspectives
Chair: Ewa Atanassow (Bard College Berlin), Anna-Bettina Kaiser (Humboldt Universität), Ira Katznelson (Columbia University), Christine Landfried (Universität Hamburg/Hertie School)

12.00 - 1.00pm
Lunch

1.00 - 2.30pm
Session 2 - North Atlantic Comparisons: The United States and the European Union
Chair: Boris Vormann (Bard College Berlin), Jonathan Hopkin (London School of Economics), Christian Lammert (Freie Universität), Elena Stavrevska (Bard College Berlin)

Refreshments

2.45 - 4.15pm
Session 3 - ‘Illiberal Democracy’ and the Middle East: Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Syria
Chair: Michael Weinman (Bard College Berlin), Yassin Al-Haj Saleh (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin), Amr Hamzawy (Stanford University; via videoconference), Nil Mutluer (Humboldt Universität)

4.15 - 5.00pm
Refreshments
Email: [email protected]