Fall 2025 Lecture Series
When Francis Fukuyama declared an “end to history” in 1989, he suggested that the end of the Cold War had led to a victory for liberal democracy, ensuing an enduring global commitment to human rights, liberty, equality, and rule of law. But now, liberal democracy appears increasingly precarious, intellectually exposed, and political vulnerable. Authoritarian political leaders (often elected) undermine democratic institutions, freedom around the world is on decline, and commitments to human rights and rule of law is under siege. What does the future hold for liberal democracy in the U.S. and elsewhere?
Our series of lectures will feature leading scholars of liberalism and democracy who examine questions around the future of liberal democracy. Please join us for the following events. All talks will be delivered in the Foley Speaker’s Room, 308 Bryan Hall. Those events beginning at noon will serve pizza and soft drinks.
Events
- Thursday September 4, 12pm: Gary Gerstle, Harvard University: “Neoliberalism and the changing political order”.
- Thursday September 11, 12pm: Jeffrey Kopstein, University of California, Irvine: “Deconstructing the state: The populist attack on rule of law”
- Thursday September 25, 12pm: Patrick Deneen, University of Notre Dame: “Regime change: A post-liberal future”
- Wednesday October 1, 12pm: Olyvia Christley, Washington State University: “The rise of right-wing politics in Europe” (this event is co-sponsored with the Roots of Contemporary Issues Program at WSU.
- Thursday October 16, 12pm: Steven Hahn, New York University: “A history of illiberal America”
- Thursday October 23, 12pm: Matthew McManus, Spelman College: “Right-wing challenges to liberal America”
- Thursday November 6, 12pm: Samuel Moyn, Yale University: “Liberalism’s lost aspirations”
- Wednesday December 3, 4pm: Michael McFaul, Stanford University: “Autocrats vs. democrats: China, Russia, America, and the new global disorder”