This event has passed
Date and Location
Ash Center
This in-person study group led by Freddy Guevara Cortez, Democracy Visiting Fellow at the Nonviolent Action Lab, and William Dobson, co-editor, Journal of Democracy, will take place throughout five sessions. Registration is required.
This study group explores one of the defining challenges of our time: the global erosion of democracy and the rise of resilient authoritarian regimes. While threats once came from military coups, warlords, or totalitarian parties, today’s authoritarians operate in subtler but equally dangerous ways—eroding institutions from within, capturing narratives, and weaponizing democratic procedures against democracy itself.
Led jointly by a leading journalist and expert on authoritarianism (Dobson) and a frontline activist and researcher (Guevara), this series bridges theory and practice. Students will be invited to bring their own concerns and perspectives into dialogue with cutting-edge research, historical cases, and lived experience.
The goal is to equip participants with both analytical foundations and practical insights for defending democracy in the 21st century.
Session Dates:
October 1
October 8
October 22
October 29
November 5
A light lunch will be provided.