"The Democratic Curse": Analysis of the Identity Crisis of Democracies

“The Democratic Curse”: Analysis of the Identity Crisis of Democracies”

The scope and magnitude of the current backsliding in Western and non-Western democracies raise three questions addressed in this presentation: What are the root causes of democratic erosion? How the current crisis differs from previous ones? And what should be done to prevent or reverse illiberal and authoritarian trends? In answering these questions, Professor Ariane Chebel d’Appollonia (Rutgers University) analyzes the interlocking impact of democratic backsliding and the identity crisis – both eroding the very notion of shared values and common good, promoting a political and ethnoracial polarization of national identity, as well as fueling exclusionary practices detrimental to the democratic conception of the demos.

Stevenson Lecture series: Could it happen here? Democratic Backsliding Around the Globe

In the Autumn 2026 lecture series, we will explore what democratic backsliding is, what it looks like in other established democracies and what it would look like in the United Kingdom. Join us in-person or on-line as we welcome leading scholars to the University of Glasgow to help us understand how democratic institutions are eroding and what it means for people in the UK. In the Spring of 2027, we will turn to examining ways we can be involved in our democratic institutions and processes to help secure democracy in the UK.