Democracy and the Global Order: New Perspectives, New Challenges

From June 6 to 7, 2023, PARI hosted a dynamic workshop centered around the theme “Democracy and the Global Order: New Perspectives, New Challenges.” at the Hochschulzentrum Fulda. The event offered an engaging platform for participants to immerse themselves in a rich program comprising lectures, discussions, and ample opportunities for meaningful exchange.

The workshop kicked off with a warm welcome from Prof Claudia Wiesner of Fulda University of Applied Sciences. The first day featured enlightening lectures by Susanne Maslanka and Hans-Georg Ripken, delving into the intriguing topic of “Western support for Boris Yeltsin – Accepting illiberal practices to build up liberal democracy.” Veith Selk further captivated the audience with his insights on “The End of Democracy and Political Avant-garde.”

The afternoon session unfolded with Vanessa Wintermantel’s thought-provoking presentation, “On the Limits of Liberal Theories: A mobilisation of poststructuralist, feminist, and postcolonial critiques.” Nathaniel Umokoro shared insights into “The political economy of democracy in the Global South,” while Matthias Klemm explored the concept of “Intellectual Authoritarianism.”

Tom Scheunemann took the audience into the future with his talk on “Future Histories in the Anthropocene,” followed by Olga Nosova’s examination of the “Social and humanitarian safety provision system in Ukraine: the role of European Union integration values.” Christoph Held rounded off the day with a critical analysis titled “Empty Democracy: A critique of radical democracy theory.”

The workshop concluded with a stimulating roundtable discussion on “Entangled Perspectives of (post)modernity – What’s at stake?” featuring distinguished voices like David Chandler (University of Westminster), Niilo Kauppi (University of Helsinki), and Claudia Wiesner (Fulda UAS).

In essence, the Democracy and the Global Order workshop proved to be a melting pot of diverse ideas, fostering intellectual exploration and opening new horizons in understanding the complex interplay between democracy and the global landscape. Participants left with enriched perspectives, poised to contribute to the ongoing discourse on these critical issues.