UC EVENTS

This event is hybrid. Join us on Zoom or at Building 24, University of Canberra.How should deliberative democracy respond to extremism?Far-right extremism threatens democracy by spreading exclusionary and anti-democratic ideals, such as white supremacy. How can deliberative democracy help us understand the roles of the media and political leaders in responding to the harms caused by extremist actors? What pragmatic solutions can deliberative processes offer, especially in countering extremism's personal and emotional appeals? You are invited to join this conversation featuring Dr Jordan McSwiney (University of Canberra) and Prof John Gastil (Penn State University). This seminar will be chaired by Prof Selen Ercan. This event is part 6 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb. About the speakersJordan McSwiney is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. He researches the far right, with a focus on the organisation and communication of far-right parties and movements. He is the author of Far-Right Political Parties in Australia: Disorganisation and Electoral Failure (Routledge). John Gastil is a Professor at Penn State University. He has studied political psychology and democratic innovations for thirty years, and some of the reforms he has proposed became law. He received major funding to study attitude formation and how people revise their beliefs when invited into more deliberative political institutions and experiences. ModeratorSelen Ercan is the Director of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Seminar Convener: Adele WebbOnline floor manager: Ferdinand SanchezAll Centre seminars are recorded. To access the recording of our seminar series and other events, visit our YouTube channel.

Hosted by CDDGG, University of CanberraDate and time: Tue 2nd Jul 2024, 5:30 pm - 7:15 pm AESTRegister here: https://events.humanitix.com/book-launch-democracy-versus-diablo-in-the-usa-and-australiaYou are invited to a participatory book launch for André Bächtiger and John S. Dryzek, Deliberative Democracy for Diabolical Times: Confronting Populism, Extremism, Denial, and Authoritarianism.You will hear from one of the book’s authors (John Dryzek) as well as special guests Professor John Gastil from Pennsylvania State University and Associate Professor Caroline Fischer of the News and Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra.You will get an opportunity to discuss their points and deliberate your own ideas about the challenges facing democracy in Australia and the USA, and how best to confront them. There will also be a chance to meet and talk more informally.This book launch will be moderated by Keith Greaves from MosaicLab. 

This event is hybrid. Join us on Zoom or at Building 24, University of Canberra.How should deliberative democracy respond to extremism?Can deliberative democracy challenge macho populism? For Hans Asenbaum, the field of deliberative democracy may have come a long way in recognising female marginalisation, but it has so far neglected cisgender, heterosexual, masculinities. Only when deliberative democracy recognises such hegemonic identities can it challenge the heterosexist domination underpinning macho populism.María Esperanza Casullo has a different take. For her, deliberative democracy can challenge macho populism by upholding the value of the most basic of human activities: talking. Macho populism seeks to define the simple act of talking as unproductive, decadent, in sum, feminine. It has a clear preference for supposedly masculine performances of aggression. Therefore, the act of deliberation itself has the potential to become the grounds for resistance. Join the conversation with Hans Asenbaum and María Esperanza Casullo, moderated by Jordan McSwiney. This event is part 7 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb. About the speakersHans Asenbaum is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. His research interests include radical democracy, queer and gender studies, digital politics, and participatory research methods. Hans is the author of The Politics of Becoming: Anonymity and Democracy in the Digital Age (Oxford University Press, 2023). The book draws on queer theory to make sense of identity transformation in democracy. His work has been published in the American Political Science Review, Politics & Gender, and the Journal of Gender Studies.María Esperanza Casullo is an Associate Professor at the National University of Rio Negro and a researcher at CONICET in Argentina. She obtained a PhD in political theory from Georgetown University. She has published extensively on democratic theory and populism. Her last published paper is "The populist body in the age of social media: A comparative study of populist and non-populist representation" in Thesis Eleven, in co-authorship with Rodolfo Colalongo. ModeratorJordan McSwiney is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra.Seminar Convener: Adele WebbOnline floor manager: Ferdinand SanchezAll Centre seminars are recorded. To access the recording of our seminar series and other events, visit our YouTube channel.