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Relaunching the Democracy Seminar
Michael Weinman (Professor at Indiana University Bloomington) and Siobhan Kattago (Professor at the University of Tartu) discuss the relaunch of Democracy Seminar 3.0 and the founding of the European Democracy Institute as a space for critical reflection, debate, and transatlantic collaboration. Drawing on the intellectual legacies of Hannah Arendt and Fritz Stern, they examine contemporary authoritarianism, democratic backsliding, and the enduring relevance of thinking critically in times of crisis. Against the backdrop of shifting global power, it frames the renewed Democracy Seminar as a “third escape toward freedom”—an effort to sustain democratic imagination, accountability, and shared political responsibility.
The Democracy Seminar and Me
Reflecting on the history of the Democracy Seminar, Jeffrey Goldfarb (Michael E. Gellert Professor of Sociology Emeritus at The New School for Social Research) traces its evolution from a semi-clandestine transnational network during the Cold War to its present role within the European Democracy Institute and the New School. The essay explores how decades of dialogue, disagreement, and collaboration shaped both the Seminar’s democratic commitments and Jeffrey Goldfarb’s own intellectual work, reaffirming the importance of critical public thought in times of democratic crisis.
Milei’s Right-Libertarian Populism
Javier Milei is one of the most eccentric figures in what Cas Mudde (2020) describes as the ‘fourth wave’ of far-right politics. This wave, characterized by the rise of radical ideas and their mainstream acceptance, is a global trend that is reshaping democracies. It is marked by the normalization of previously fringe ideas and agendas, creating new challenges for established political systems. Argentina, with its long history of …
The Truth of The New Right
The Democracy Seminar relaunches with a renewed global mission: to connect scholars and democrats in confronting today’s mounting threats to democracy. In this new salvo, focused on the “truth” of the New Right, scholars examine how knowledge production and manipulation fuel the rise of illiberal movements in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and the United States—highlighting the urgent work needed to defend both democracy and truth.
Small Acts of Repair
Through personal encounters in Poland, Israel, and the United States, Jeffrey Goldfarb (Michael E. Gellert Professor of Sociology Emeritus at The New School for Social Research) reflects on the power of small acts of repair in times of political violence and moral devastation. Drawing connections between historical memory, contemporary protest, and everyday gestures of solidarity, it argues that even fragile acts of care can sustain hope and ethical responsibility in dark times.
Why We Are Founding the European Democracy Institute
Berit Ebert (Professor at Bard College Berlin) and Boris Vormann (Professor at Bard College Berlin) discuss the foundation of the European Democracy Institute as a new co-host of the Democracy Seminar — as well as its role as a vital center for research, public debate, and educational initiatives on democracy in the 21st century.
Reaction to Backsliding in Brazil and the United States
Brazil and the United States have convergent and divergent trajectories regarding the relationship between democracy and the rise and contention of autocratic populist leaders. In both countries, leaders with this profile came to power—Donald Trump, in the United States, in 2017 (and again in 2025), and Jair Bolsonaro, in Brazil, between 2018 and 2022. This convergence, however, contrasts with the divergence in the response of political institutions, especially …