The Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy is pleased to announce the program of its 2024-25 Faculty Workshop Series, on the topic of Other Ideals? The Future of Democracy.

The series aims to explore democratic paradigms that are alternatives to the conventional liberal-democratic model. Such alternative paradigms include: anarchism, socialism, social democracy, “Chinese” models of democracy, and forms of indigenous politics. Also included are approaches that emphasize the possible need to abandon liberal democracy so as to successfully confront climate change if not other looming disasters. The overarching idea of the series is to respond to the growing criticism leveled in recent years against liberal democracy (that it is ineffective, hypocritical, insufficiently emancipatory, etc.) by exploring some of the most compelling—or provocative—theoretical alternatives. Perhaps the series will lead to new appreciation for alternative democratic paradigms. Or, perhaps, the result will be renewed appreciation for the liberal-democratic model. Either way, the series aims to take seriously ideals that are adjacent—if not more aggressively opposed—to liberal democracy.

Upcoming Events in the 2024-25 Series

September 18: Peter Frase (author of Four Futures: Life After Capitalism and editor of Jacobin magazine) will defend the proposition of socialism as a superior alternative to liberal democracy, in a debate before the Penn Political Union. September 18, 7 PM, PCPSE Forum.

October 10: Yaku Pérez, Ecuadorian politician, former presidential candidate, and indigenous rights activist, will give an address entitled, “Indigenous Worldviews of Political Participation,” and pursue indigenous alternatives to conventional liberal-democratic models of democracy. The event is co-sponsored by Penn’s Center for Latin-American and Latinx Studies October 10, 4:30-6:00 PM, PCPSE Forum.

November 21: Tongdong Bai (Fudan University, China) will present on the topic “Of the People, for the People, but not by the People—Confucian Meritocracy as a Correction of Democracy,” which takes critical aim at the institution of “one person one vote. November 21, 12:00-1:30 PM, via Zoom.

December 5: Jenny Andersson (Uppsala University, Sweden) and recent Penn PhD Troels Skadhauge discuss "Scandinavian Social Democracy as an Alternative to Liberal Democracy?”. Prof. Andersson and Dr. Skadhauge will explore how Scandinavian social democracy might be considered fundamentally different in key ways from liberal democracy, with regard to economic policies, political structures, and cultural values. December 5: 12:00-1:30 PM, via Zoom.

January 23: Ruth Kinna (Loughborough University; co-editor of Anarchist Studies) will address anarchism as an alternative to liberal democracy. The event is co-sponsored by Penn’s Political Theory Workshop. January 23, 4:30-6:00 PM, PCPSE Forum.

February 20: Geoff Mann (Simon Fraser University; co-author of the book Climate Leviathan: A Political Theory of Our Planetary Future) will delve into the challenges posed by global climate change to liberal-democratic politics, in conversation with Penn graduate student Audrey Jaquiss. February 20, 4:30-6:00 PM, via Zoom.

If you are interested in being added to series’ email list, please contact Ibrahim Bakri at: bakrii@sas.upenn.edu.