WINTER LECTURE SERIES 2024

Across the globe we see many countries displaying some version of liberal democracy but then gradually yielding to strongman rule. We ask how and why this can occur in genuine democracies. We want to know about any successful recovery.  We look at four countries that can be discussed within this framework: Brazil, Hungary, India, and Turkey.

Global Perspectives: The Winter Lecture Series 2024
Can Democracy Be Saved? The Global Trend Toward Strongman Rule

The Winter Lecture Series (WLS) will consist of four ZOOM sessions presented on four successive Sundays beginning 2/18/2024. Each will begin at 7:00PM and end around 8:30PM, with a 45-minute lecture followed by an audience-driven Q&A. (Sign up for our WLS mailing list to receive zoom links.)

• Sunday, February 18, 2024, 7:00 PM. Professor Barany on Orban in Hungary 
• Sunday, February 25, 2024, 7:00 PM. Professor Varshney on Modi in India
• Sunday, March 3, 2024, 7:00 PM. Professor Hunter on Bolsonaro in Brazil 
• Sunday, March 10, 2024, 7:00 PM. Professor Arat on Erdogan in Turkey

Learn more about these four distinguished expert lecturers:

Zoltan Barany, Erwin Centennial Professor of Government, University of Texas-Austin.  A native of Hungary and with a MA from UNL, he is an internationally recognized expert on civilian-military relations and other key aspects of the struggle for civilian democratic rule.  He has personal as well as professional reasons to focus on the leadership of Viktor Orban in Hungary.
 
Ashutosh Varshney, Goldman Professor of International Studies, Watson Institute, Brown University.  He also directs the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia and is Professor of Political Science.  A distinguished scholar with a long list of scholarly publications, he knows well the political record of Narendra Modi in India.
 
Wendy Hunter, Professor of Government, University of Texas-Austin.  She is a much-decorated expert on Brazilian politics.  Her impressive scholarship has led to numerous awards, research grants, and visiting positions.  She is fully up to date on the rise and fall of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.

Zehra Arat, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut-Storrs.  A native of Turkey, she has published many studies on Turkish politics, human rights, and women’s rights.  She has followed closely the long rule of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish Republic.

IMPORTANT! READ ABOUT HOW TO GET THE ZOOM LINKS FOR THE LECTURES
If you are not already on the list to receive Winter Lecture Series (WLS) reminders, CLICK HERE to sign up for that email list to receive reminders. We will be sending emails 24 - 48 hours before each lecture with the Zoom link. The Zoom link will be the same for each lecture. 
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Availability:  Recorded lectures and Q & A sessions will be posted by the end of March 2024 on the Unitarian Church YouTube WINTER LECTURE SERIES PLAYLIST which lists all the available videos, past and present, for the Winter Lecture Series. 



Photo by Matteo Di Iorio on Unsplash