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Re-defining Democracy in the Era of Democratic Backsliding

November 29 – 30, 2024

Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts 

Bratislava, Slovak Republic

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Half a century ago, on August 1, 1975, the representatives of the countries of both Western and Eastern blocs signed the Helinki Final Agreement–the first treaty since the Second World War that brought the representatives of the two blocs together. It was a significant achievement, cementing the post-war boundaries of states, agreeing on fundamental freedom of movement, economic cooperation, and especially on human rights principles which later gave rise to civic resistance movements in the communist countries. Helsinki process paved the way for follow-up conferences and agreements which focused particularly on democracy and rule of law. These deliberations and their underpinning values formed the skeleton for the transitions from totalitarian rule after 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe.

Fifty years later, the ideals of democracy outlined in the Helsinki process seem further away then ever before. Borders are contested in war in Ukraine and in Israel and Palestine, and human rights and rule of law are backsliding in democracies globally. Established democracies are challenged by populists with authoritarian tendencies, and several countries that democratized in the third global wave of democratization, in 1990s, are undergoing hybridization–the gradual disintegration of democratic principles from within, following free and fair elections. 

The democratic crisis takes place in the era of social networks, which brought challenges of its own–contributing to polarization of societies, decline of political parties, relativization of truth, plummeting of political support and trust in political institutions, leaders, media. All of these processes result in ambiguation of language, including democracy itself. This forum will bring together undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of disciplines, as well as faculty and scholars of democracy. 

This conference is the 9th annual Liberal Herald conference, organized in cooperation with the Helsinki Committee of the Slovak Republic and supported by the Fund for the Support of Education.

THEMES AND TOPICS

What do we mean particularly by democracy?

      • Backsliding and hybridization of democracies
      • Questions of representation, legitimacy and effectiveness  
      • Quality of democracy
      • Democracy and political support
      • Freedom, equality, and brotherhood reconsidered
  • Identity
      • Democracy in an era of politics of identity
      • Democracy and the Other
      • Ethnic minorities in the era of decline of democracy
      • New minorities as a challenge to democracy
  • New approaches
      • Direct democracy, advocacy democracy, monitory democracy
      • End of the era of liberal democracy?
  • Digital democracy
  • Historical legacies and democracy
    • War and post-war rebuilding 
    • Memory, trauma, and development of just society

 

CRITERIA FOR ABSTRACTS

Contributors must submit abstracts in English language

Please submit the abstracts by August 30, 2024

  • Authors of selected abstracts will be informed by September 15, 2024.
  • Authors will be required to submit their paper drafts by November 1, 2024.
  • All abstracts should be submitted via online form or by email at [email protected]

COMPLETE PAPER CRITERIA

  • Selected papers will be published in 2025 in a co-edited monography published in the Kritika & Kontext publishing house, affiliated with BISLA.
  • Authors interested in publishing their papers will be invited to submit their contributions by February 1, 2025.

Papers should be

  • Up to 20 norm pages (36,000 chars with spaces)  
  • written in English 
  • in APA citation and reference style format

All submissions will be subject to double-blind peer review process.

Organizers and Contacts:

Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts (BISLA), Bratislava, Slovak Republic