Is Liberalism in Decline?

The term “crisis” seems to be the buzzword in the academic and public discourse, when referring to the contemporary state of liberal democracy both in the United States and globally. The banality of its use, however, only reiterates both the issue’s presence and scale. Yet, while there are many conferences and public debates about the decline of the post-Cold War world order, there is little discussion about what could be the positive prospects and outcomes in face of these shifting global paradigms.
Since this issue is both international and epochal, we seek to gather a diverse group of scholars and intellectuals from diverse backgrounds and areas of specialisation to address it. With expertise ranging from South-East Asia to the US and Eastern Europe, we seek to debate politics beyond the typical disciplinary and regional frameworks.
The initial topics to start off the discussion can include but are not limited to:
- Liberalism and (as) global order: Did liberalism become illiberal? Does ‘free world’ equal ‘liberal world?’ What are the alternatives?
- What are the specific challenges for liberal democracy in different nations, cultures and regions? How universal is the will to freedom? How does historical and cultural experience influence its conception and how can this be used for positive ends?
- How liberal and democratic is the internet? What is the role of humour and insult in negotiating the nature of human rights? Are there ways to transcend both identity and identitarian politics?
We offer a room, refreshments and, hopefully, a group of colleagues, interested in coming up with positive answers for critical contemporary questions.