Public lecture series on "Populism, right-wing extremism, elections and democracy" at Zeppelin University
Zeppelin University (ZU) invites all interested parties to a public lecture series on "Populism, right-wing extremism, elections and democracy". In eleven events from September to November, the series will examine, among other things, the conceptual history of populism and the electorate of right-wing populist parties - and ask which political systems and electoral systems are particularly susceptible to right-wing populist tendencies.
Over the past two decades, right-wing populist and right-wing extremist movements have been on the rise worldwide. Especially in the so-called liberal democracies and in Europe, as was recently observed in the European elections - even if there are very different developments in the various countries. "The strength of right-wing populist and far-right parties in countries such as France, Italy and Germany, which were considered the democratic pillars of Europe for decades, makes us aware that the continued existence of democratic structures is not something that can be taken for granted automatically," notes Professor Dr. Joachim Behnke, holder of the Chair of Political Science at ZU and initiator of the lecture series.
The series of events is dedicated to the topic of "Populism, right-wing extremism, elections and democracy" by addressing the various aspects from different academic perspectives. The state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg and the presidential election in the USA are also a particular focus.
Listen to the public lectures in the ZU Lectures Podcast:
All dates at a glance:
- Behnke himself will also kick things off on Monday, September 9, with his lecture "From Andrew Jackson to Theodore Roosevelt to Trump, Orban, Le Pen and the AfD. A brief conceptual history of populism".
- Tuesday, 17 September: "Populism as a protest against the de-consolidation of the nation state - Europe's new lines of division" with Professor Dr. Philip Manow, Professor of International Political Economy at the University of Siegen
- Monday, 23 September: "Political populism as delegitimization of procedures" with Professor Dr. Maren Lehmann, holder of the Chair of Sociological Theory at ZU
- Monday, September 30: "Structures of social inequality and the electorate of right-wing populist parties" with Professor Dr. Martin Elff, holder of the Chair of Political Sociology at ZU
- Monday, October 7: "The party ban as a means of the 'defensive democracy' of the Basic Law" with Professor Dr. Georg Jochum, holder of the Chair of Public Law, Tax and European Law and Regulatory Law at ZU
- Tuesday, October 15: "Reinforce, perforate or tear down? How voters look at the firewall to the AfD" with Professor Dr. Christian Stecker, Professor of German Political System and Comparison of Political Systems at the Technical University of Darmstadt
- Tuesday, October 22: "Crisis management of the administration and trust in the state" with Professor Dr. Steffen Eckhard, holder of the Chair of Public Administration and Public Policy at ZU
- Monday, November 4: "Global Cooperation in Times of Populism and Autocracy" with Professor Dr. Maria J. Debre, holder of the Chair of International Relations at ZU
- Monday, 11 November: "Populists, politicians and 'opinion policemen' - The duty of neutrality of public officials in the political battle of opinions" with Professor Dr. Malte Graßhof, President of the Constitutional Court of Baden-Württemberg
- Monday, November 18: "Past the people? Insight into research on the relationship between public opinion and government action" with Professor Dr. Christian Adam, holder of the Chair of Comparative Politics - Focus on European Institutions at ZU
- Monday, November 25: Panel discussion "After the US election: What happened and what should we expect?" with Professor Dr. Joachim Behnke, Professor Dr. Martin Elff and Professor Dr. Simon Koschut, holder of the Chair of International Security Policy at ZU
The events start at 7.15 pm in the Black Box on the ZU ZF Campus at Fallenbrunnen 3.
Further information and registration at zu.de/veranstaltungen