Challenges and Transformations of Democracy
The Elaine Stavro Distinguished Visiting Scholar
Lecture Abstract
Not a day goes by without complaints about democracy not working or alarm bells ringing about the risks of authoritarianism. Everyone is quick to assert that democracy is vulnerable, unable to withstand the challenges of technology and globalization, which weaken national societies, narrow the middle class (the backbone of modern democracy), and stress traditional institutions that preside over the formation of opinions. On the other hand, we know that democracies have extraordinary resilience and innovative capacity. Procedures and institutions sometimes push citizens to go beyond the status quo and experiment with new channels of deliberation and decision-making. Democracy has been and still is a fertile ground for innovation. Recognizing its risks and analyzing its challenges is part of the democratic work, which is our responsibility as citizens and scholars.
About the Speaker
Dr. Nadia Urbinati is a political theorist who specializes in modern and contemporary political thought and the democratic and anti-democratic traditions. She teaches at Columbia University where she co-chaired the Columbia University Faculty Seminar on Political and Social Thought. She is one of the longest-serving scholars of populism in modern academia. Recent publications include: The Lottocratic Mentality: Defending Democracy Against Lottocracy (2024); Me the People: How Populism Transforms Democracy (2019); The Tyranny of the Moderns (2015); and Democracy Disfigured: Opinion, Truth, and the People (2014).
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