Érosion démocratique et autoritarisme en Europe

Study day organised by Céline Spector, Director of the Europe Initiative of the Alliance Sorbonne Université, with the support of Sorbonne Université and the Paris Institute for Advanced Study. 

Open to the public; registration is required.

Presentation

The concept of democratic erosion (or democratic backsliding) was introduced by Nick Sitter and Elisabeth Bakke in 2019 to describe the processes that lead to a decline in the quality of democracy among European Union member states. It builds upon the notion of ‘illiberal democracy’, which refers to regimes that base democratic legitimacy exclusively on popular sovereignty while allowing the executive to undermine checks and balances at the expense of the rule of law.

Far from being limited to Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland—where the weakening of judicial independence, freedom of expression, and fundamental rights has been particularly evident —dedemocratization appears to be affecting, to varying degrees, several founding members of the European Union, including the Netherlands and Italy.

What are the mechanisms at play in processes of autocratization, particularly in cases where the far right is part of governing coalitions? How can we conceptualize the resistance put up by constitutional courts, civil society, cultural institutions, or political parties in slowing the rise of nationalism and sovereignty-driven politics, as well as the erosion of the rule of law?

Finally, how might foreign interference and the manipulation of social media impact these processes in the coming years? By combining perspectives from political science, and political philosophy, this seminar aims to analyze current developments in light of past authoritarian and totalitarian experiences that have shaped democracies worldwide.

Programme

9:30 am - Welcome coffee

10:00 am - Introduction by Céline Spector

10:10 am - « Les juges face à l’érosion démocratique : récits, résistances et légitimités en recomposition »
Ramona Coman (ULB)

11:00 am - « La démocratie à l’épreuve du travail : éléments pour une théorie critique de l’érosion démocratique »
Katia Genel (Paris X-Nanterre)

11:50 am - « La dynamique des habitudes démocratiques »
Florent Guénard (UPEC)

12:45 pm - Lunch 

2:00 pm - « Politique de l’inimitié. Polarisation de la démocratie et crise de la représentation »
Philippe Crignon (Nantes)

2:50 pm - « Le spectre d’un nouveau despotisme hante l’Europe et l’Amérique latine : une interprétation tocquevillienne de l’érosion démocratique contemporaine »
Gabriela Rodriguez (UBA, Argentina)

3:40–4:00 pm - Coffee break

4:00 pm - « Selling Democracy While Eroding It? Democratic Backsliding and the External Identity Projection in Central Europe »
Eliška Tomalová (Charles University, Prague)

4:50 pm - Conclusion

Participation

The event is open to the public.

Venue
Paris Institute for Advanced Study (IEA de Paris)
17 quai d’Anjou, Paris 4th arrondissement

Registration
Registration is required. Please register using the following form:

Registration form