Recent political developments such as the rise of rightwing authoritarianism have been characterized as political regression and as democratic backsliding. In this seminar, we explore how political theory can contribute to debates about diagnosing and countering political regression. First, we discuss what it means to identify political regression and whether the concept of regression can be used without defending (problematic) narratives about moral and political progress. We then turn to appropriate measures against political regression, discussing the idea of “militant democracy”. When are drastic (and potentially undemocratic) measures such as party bans justified to defend democracy? What other instruments can be used and what are their respective strengths and weaknesses?
Literature
Müller, Jan-Werner. 2016. “Protecting Popular Self-Government from the People? New Normative Perspectives on Militant Democracy.” Annual Review of Political Science 19(1): 249–65. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-043014-124054.
- Lehrende/r: Svenja Ahlhaus