CSD Encounter

Event:

Join us on 8 November 2024 for a special daylong event as the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) celebrates its 35th birthday with a revival of CSD Encounter, drawing upon a distinguished tradition of CSD Encounters with public intellectuals including Luc Boltanski, Judith Butler, Stuart Hall, Bruno Latour, Richard Rorty, Quentin Skinner, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Charles Taylor, James Tully, and Michael Walzer.

The 2024 CSD Encounter will highlight the work of Professor John Keane. Scholars from the UK and abroad will explore central themes in Keane’s work, including Public Life and Late Capitalism, Civil Society and Democracy, Fools, Folly, and Politics.

About CSD:

Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD), established in 1989, is based in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Westminster. At the Centre, academics working in politics and international relations undertake socially engaged, methodologically diverse and often interdisciplinary research that aims to address a range of critical political challenges in relation to democracy worldwide. CSD has a longstanding international reputation for research excellence through a programme of publications, events and collaborations with academics, practitioners, policymakers, and activists. Research in Politics and International Studies at CSD was ranked 4th highest in the UK for impact in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF). The Centre has established numerous collaborations with scholars and universities around the world and the CR Parekh lecture, instituted by Lord Bhikhu Parekh, has included lectures by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arundhati Roy, and Ashis Nandy.

Event Programme:

Location: Portland Hall and G.03, University of Westminster – Little Titchfield St, London, W1W 7BY

Time: 10:15 to 20:00 GMT (in person only)

The morning and afternoon sessions will include several panel discussions centred on the key themes in the work of Professor John Keane. Speakers from the UK and abroad will engage with these topics, celebrating CSD’s contribution to political scholarship over the past 35 years.

Programme Agenda

10.15 - 10.45

Arrival and Registration

Tea/Coffee

10.45 - 11.00 Introduction

Welcome from the University of Westminster

Prof Nitasha Kaul, Director, Centre for the Study of Democracy

Alan Porter, Head of School, School of Social Sciences

Prof Dibyesh Anand, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement and Employability)

11.00 - 12.30 Panel: Civil Society and Democracy

Chair: Dr Patrick Burke (University of Westminster)

Speakers:

Prof Amanda Machin (University of Agder, Norway)

Dr Myriam Fotou (University of Leicester)

Ivan Vejvoda (Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna)

12.30 –13.15 Lunch

13.15 – 14.45 Panel: Public Life and Late Capitalism

Chair: Rob McMaster (University of Westminster)

Speakers:

Prof Colin Crouch (University of Warwick)

Dr Stuart Isaacs (University of West London)

Prof James Stanyer (Loughborough University)

14.45 –15.00 Tea/Coffee

15.00 –16.30 Panel: Fools, Folly and Politics

Chair: Dr Elisabetta Brighi (University of Westminster)

Speakers:

Prof Lars Tønder (University of Copenhagen)

Dr Camila Vergara (University of Essex)

Dr Agnes Horvath (President, International Political Anthropology Association)

16.30 – 17.45 Panel: Former CSDers reflect on how Centre for Study of Democracy shaped their academic journey

Chair: Prof Roland Dannreuther (University of Westminster)

Speakers:

Prof Abdelwahab El-Affendi (Doha Institute of Graduate Studies)

Prof Amanda Machin (University of Agder, Norway)

Prof (Emeritus) Barry Buzan (LSE)

Prof Lord Bhikhu Parekh (House of Lords)

Prof (Emerita) Chantal Mouffe (University of Westminster)

Prof Richard Whitman (University of Kent)

Prof John Keane (University of Sydney)

17.45 –18.15 Break

18.15- 18.30 Introduction to Keynote

Welcome by University of Westminster President and Vice-Chancellor Prof Peter Bonfield

Introduction to Prof John Keane by CSD Director, Prof Nitasha Kaul

18.30 – 19.30

Keynote Lecture by Prof John Keane on "China's Galaxy Empire"

19. 30 –19.45

Discussant Remarks

Prof Kerry Brown (King's College London)

19.45 Closing Remarks

Centre for the Study of Democracy/University of Westminster

Important Notes:

· Tickets are free but limited, so please register early. Indicate on your registration whether you wish to attend the panel sessions or the evening keynote only, or both.

Host or Publisher University of Westminster