Featuring some of the most important voices from contemporary academia, the podcast series “Democracy in Question?” discusses various democratic experiences and experiments, current crises as well as long-term challenges to democracy such as issues of legitimacy, disenfranchisement, or inequality.
“Democracy in Question?” hosted by Shalini Randeria is a joint production of the Graduate Institute’s Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) Vienna, and the Research Group Soft Authoritarianisms, University of Bremen. It is produced in cooperation with Richard Miron and Anouk Milet (Earshot strategies).
“Sound of Democracy” is our new podcast project, planned for 2021. In collaboration with the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) Vienna and artist Mukul Patel , we’re asking how democracy sounds today in different parts of the world, how we talk about democracy and which metaphors we use doing so. Sound of Democracy is part research project part fusion of artistic soundscapes and scholarly reflection.
Democracy in Question?
Most of the world’s population lives in a formal democracy today. But in both established and new democracies, trust in parliaments and political parties is plummeting. Worldwide, they are being torn apart by inequalities, political polarization and a politics of hate. Citizens are using the streets and the courts to challenge authority and to seek the accountability that is often missing at the ballot boxes. The form, content, institutions, practices and, ultimately, the very principles of liberal democracy are being called into question from India to Hungary and from Brazil to the US.
Hosted by Shalini Randeria, Rector of the IWM, Director of the Centre at the Graduate Institute, and Excellence Chair, University of Bremen (Research Group: Soft Authoritarianism). It features some of the most important voices in contemporary academia. Together they reflect on democratic experiences and experiments the world over and explore whether this crisis of democracy represents a historically unique challenge or whether parallels to political crises in the past can be discerned.
While each episode addresses issues concerning the contemporary challenges to democracy in different contexts, the series is also committed to exploring themes in the longue durée of democracy that have occupied social scientists for decades.
Join Shalini Randeria and leading scholars for an exploration of the dilemmas facing democracies worldwide. Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts!
All Episodes: Democracy in Question
S07E10: Paul Lendvai on “Austria Behind the Mask”
This episode explores Austrian history and politics, looking to lessons of the past to understand the future of democracy in the country. What might growing support for right wing nationalism mean for Austria? And how does the country’s neutrality play a role in relationships with external power in the EU…
S07E09: Maciej Kisilowski on the Polish Elections
This episode explores Poland’s recent election results and their significance as a turning point in democracy in Poland. Will this election mark the end of an illiberal period in the country? And might it be the start of a progressive wave sweeping across Europe? Listen to hear an analysis of…
S07E08: Kalypso Nicolaidis on Governing Together Through “Demoicracy” (Part 2)
This episode explores grassroots utopian practices and the Democratic Odyssey project, which recently convened in Athens. Building upon the notion of “demoicracy” in the European Union – the ideal of a union of people that govern together, but not as one – the conversation investigates collective access to political decision-making…
S07E07: Kalypso Nicolaidis on Governing Together Through “Demoicracy” (Part 1)
This episode explores the notion of “demoicracy” in the European Union – the ideal of a union of people that govern together, but not as one. What might pluralizing democracy look like? And do recent experiments warrant optimism in citizen assemblies? Listen to hear about emergent new models of transnational…
S07E06: Janka Oertel on “The End of the China Illusion” (Part 2)
This episode explores China’s thinly veiled projects of expanding global influence. Does Chinese control of critical infrastructure and economic supply chains threaten Europe’s autonomy? And how can democracies counter the global spread of Chinese Communist Party ideology? Listen to hear about China’s vulnerabilities to political protest and why many Chinese…
S07E05: Nobel Prize Winner Joseph Stiglitz on a More Equitable Future
This episode, recorded live at the 2023 Alpbach Forum in Tirol, Austria, explores why economic inequalities have increased over recent years and how such stratification is detrimental to democracy. What has been learned through past and current crises? And how might the green transition play a role in the future?…
S07E04: Janka Oertel on “The End of the China Illusion” (Part 1)
This episode explores illusions about China’s ambitions related to expanding military and economic power. How have such illusions been perpetuated by Germans and Europeans in order to maintain profit for companies? And what does a realistic assessment of China’s current ambitions of global economic dominance, military might and technological supremacy,…
S07E03: Alejandra Ballon Gutierrez on Body Politics in Peru
This episode explores former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori’s population control programs and how eugenic principles have led to the forceful sterilization of women belonging to various indigenous communities. What role do foreign governments and international donors play in the racialized politics of population control, and how have violations of women’s…
S07E02: Kim Lane Scheppele on Destroying Democracy by Law
This episode focuses on comparisons of soft authoritarian regimes and the phenomenon of autocratic legalism. How do the uses and abuses of law play a role in dismantling liberal democracy from within and cementing authoritarian rule? Listen to hear how countries including Turkey, Hungary and the United States are using…
S07E01: Ulrike Flader on Turkey at the Crossroads
This episode explores the far-reaching implications of the recent Turkish elections. In a closely contested election, President Erdoğan has won a third term in office, dashing hopes of a return to a liberal, secular, pro-European government in Turkey. What led to this result especially after the impact of the devastating…
S06E10: Daniela Schwarzer on Europe’s Strategic Conundrums (Part 2)
This episode explores current dilemmas faced by the European Union and the pursuit of strategic autonomy. How has a reliance on soft power, multilateral cooperation and economic integration created the current conditions of security and sovereignty in the EU? And what have the current and multiple crises brought to the forefront?…
S06E09: Daniela Schwarzer on Europe’s Strategic Conundrums (Part 1)
This episode explores the challenges and stakes in the pursuit of strategic autonomy for the European Union. How has the war in Ukraine rewritten the rules of transatlantic relations and geopolitics for the EU? And what does the internal cohesion and unity of the EU look like today? Listen to hear fundamental…
S06E08: Martin Krygier on Anti-Constitutional Populism
This episode explores how populists effectively use constitutions to undermine and abolish constitutionalism. What legalistic tactics are often hiding behind culturalist arguments to subvert the rule of law? And how can law be better used in the service of liberal democracy? Guests featured in this episode: Martin Krygier is a professor of…
S06E07: Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani on Israel: Democracy on the Defensive
This episode explores what kind of democracy is being defended in Israel today. Who are the supporters of the ruling coalition and what explains the popular appeal of the right-wing parties? Listen to a discussion with a wide historical context about the present political crisis, which many scholars have called…
S06E06: Sergei Guriev on the Changing Face of Autocracy
This episode explores the main differences between contemporary, quasi-dictatorial regimes based on spin, and older 20th-century dictatorships based on overt repression and fear. Why do spin dictators demonstrate a commitment to democratic elections and how do their actions undermine democracy from within? Listen to find out what such regimes teach…
Sound of Democracy
Programme: Sound of democracy
Entering into Conversation about the Sound of Democracy
The following text describes a project complementing the Sound of Democracy podcast, that will be carried out by Prof. Dr. Ingo H. Warnke and two of his doctoral students, namely Christian Bär and Hagen Steinhauer. Interviews on How Democracy Sounds What does democracy sound like today? How is its sound…
Sound of Democracy. Blog, Podcast and Interview Project
This blog post is a contribution by a team of linguists at the University of Bremen, namely Prof. Dr. Ingo H. Warnke and two of his doctoral students, Christian Bär as well as Hagen Steinhauer, who is also a member of the Research Group on Soft Authoritarianism, which is directed…
Sound of Democracy. Sound as a Metaphor
The following text dialogues with the podcast from the perspective of linguistics as a discipline and was written by Prof. Dr. Ingo H. Warnke together with two of his doctoral students, namely Christian Bär and Hagen Steinhauer. The word sound can refer to a wide range of phenomena. Within the…