Cha(lle)nging Democracy at the Beginning of 21st Century

Venue: Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
Period: Oct. 27 - 29, 2011

After the fall of communist regimes in the 1990's many analysts euphorically believed that Western democracy would eventually spread all over the world. But things turned out to be more complicated than many could anticipate. New challenges have emerged at the beginning of 21st century ranging from fundamentalism (religious, cultural or political), communication technologies, the rising of new global powers to ecology, demography or legitimacy deficits of most democratic systems. Against this background, democratic systems have also tried to change or adapt themselves in order to meet most of these challenges. How should democracy protect itself against the misuses of its principles? What is needed, apart from freedom of speech and the right to vote, to hold democratic societies together? What is the factual relationship between legality and legitimacy? How can democracy mediate between reality and its ideals?

The conference Cha(lle)nging Democracy at the Beginning of 21st Century invites contributors to explore these questions and many others by examining both the fundaments of democracy as a political system and the vernacular manifestations of democratic thinking.
We welcome contributions from various fields – political philosophy, political theory, legal theory, critical thinking, managerial democracy, media, sociology, etc. – that take into account new trends in contemporary democracies that must be acknowledged and assessed against the background of the democratic ideals.

In order to take part in the conference, participants must submit a 200-300 word abstract by April 15th. A conference fee of €50 will cover the conference, accomodation and meals for the duration of the conference. Participants must cover their own cost of travel.

View all details of how to participate to the event here

e-mail: democracy@euro.ubbcluj.ro