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The Future of Democracy and the Liberal Order

Public lecture series during 2022/2023 winter semester at Freie Universität Berlin kicks off at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, October 31 with livestream / Scheduled lectures in English – please visit the website for the full program

№ 184/2022 from Oct 24, 2022

The future of democracy and the liberal order around the world will be the subject of a public lecture series held as part of the Open Lecture Halls program at Freie Universität Berlin. Every Monday at 6:15 p.m. during the winter semester, scholars will give a talk on the current threats to liberal models of political and social order as well as the tensions, external pressures, and unfulfilled promises of what has been called the “liberal script.” The lecture series “Contestations about and in Liberal Orders” is being put together by the Cluster Of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS)” at Freie Universität Berlin under the leadership of its spokesperson Professor Michael Zürn, a political and social scientist. The lecture series is directed toward a wide audience. Those interested can attend the free lectures in person or via the livestream, and recordings of the lectures will be made available on YouTube after the event. Registration in advance is not required. You can find additional information here: https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/sites/offenerhoersaal/index.html.

Today, thirty years after the fall of the Soviet Union and German reunification, the future of democracy and the international liberal order no longer seem secure. Russia’s breach of international law in Ukraine, the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Trumpism in the US, the emergence of authoritarian populist parties throughout Europe, the rapid rise of China, and Brexit – Zürn interprets all these political and social phenomena as challenges to what has been called the “liberal script.” Professors from the Cluster of Excellence and guest lecturers will address the question of whether liberal systems will topple, change, or emerge stronger from these crises – and what responses competing orders can offer to the pressing issues of the modern age. 

The term “liberal script” relates to a set of ideas and institutional prescriptions about how societal and political systems are organized, including liberal democracy, a free market economy, and an open society based on the core principle of individual self-determination. 

The lecture series will be continued in the 2023 summer semester under spokesperson Professor Tanja A. Börzel, a political scientist and expert on European integration.

Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS)

The Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS)” is a research consortium that analyzes the contemporary controversies surrounding the model of liberal democracy and the market economy. Research is conducted on different historical eras and regions from all over the world, with collaboration between SCRIPTS and international researchers from a broad range of disciplines. The Cluster is hosted by Freie Universität Berlin and unites eight major Berlin-based research institutions. SCRIPTS has been operating since 2019 and will be funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) until the end of 2025. 

Time and Location

  • Time: Every Monday from October 31, 2022 between 6:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. 
  • Location: Building complex at Habelschwerdter Allee 45, Lecture Hall 1b, 14195 Berlin; Subway station: Dahlem-Dorf or Freie Universität Berlin / Thielplatz (U3); Buses: 110, M11, X83
  • Livestream: https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/sites/offenerhoersaal/index.html

Scheduled Lectures in English

Rejection and Ownership: Variants of the Liberal Script in Asia (in English) – November 14, 2022
Amrita Narlikar, German Institute for Global and Area Studies, Hamburg/Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, Universität Hamburg/SCRIPTS

(Re)Allocation and the Liberal Script (in English) – November 28, 2022
Mark Hallerberg, Public Management and Political Economy, Hertie School/SCRIPT

Further Information

For more than thirty years, Freie Universität has been inviting members of the public to attend talks by prominent scholars and take part in discussions as part of the Open Lecture Halls program. This multifaceted program allows participants to gain insights into well-founded analyses of current research and new findings from all disciplines at Freie Universität, which are presented in an accessible, generally understandable manner.

Program

https://www.fu-berlin.de/sites/offenerhoersaal/scripts/index.html
The program is also available in print upon request.

Contact