The Transformation of Democracy and Populism in Latin America

The Transformation of Democracy and Populism in Latin America
Date
Fri February 27th 2015, 9:30am - 12:30pm
Event Sponsor
Center for Latin American Studies and the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law
Location
Goldman Room, 4th Floor, Encina Hall East
Speaker:

There is currently a worldwide debate regarding the transformation of democracy. The representative system (political parties, parliamentary bodies, and the executive government) has been weakened and in some cases displaced by non-electoral representative actors (mass media, judicial magistrates, public commissions, etc.) and by intense manifestations of civic empowerment that remain politically active well after elections. As a result, the legitimacy of government decisions is consistently called into question. This evolution of democracy at the beginning of the 21st century is particularly apparent in Latin America, but it is affecting the quality and stability of democracy in many countries around the globe.
One element of the transformation has been the repeated emergence of populist governments, characterized by the informal practice of power. These movements, which frequently include marginalized sectors of society and identify with charismatic leadership, exert substantial power in a number of countries. The expansion of regimes with populist features in the context of electoral democracies has led to several unresolved questions that will be discussed in the seminar.
Agenda    
9:15 Coffee  
9:40   “The Global Democratic Recession and Its Implications for Latin America,” Larry Diamond, CDDRL, Stanford
10:15  “Populism and the Politics of the Extraordinary” Carlos de la Torre, Professor of Sociology, University Kentucky, Lexington
11:15   “Latin America and the Theological, Epistemological and Aesthetic Regimes of Politics,” Martin Plot, School of Critical Studies, California Institute of the Arts 
12:15-12:30  Concluding Discussion    
Discussants
Isidoro Cheresky
Alberto Diaz-Cayeros, Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

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