Erosion of Democracy? Academic Freedom and Right-Wing Politics in Europe

What is the state of academic freedom and democracy in Europe?

Europe has long called itself a stronghold of democracy. However, the significant increase of populism, authoritarianism, and right-wing politics on a global level has not stopped on its borders: Across Europe, right-wing movements and parties influence political discourse at both national and international levels, endangering democratic principles, such as fair elections, separation of powers, or freedom of speech. This has led to changes not only in the political landscapes of many countries, but also in the field of academia. Attacks on academic freedom have increased, restrictions and limitations on what to research are being established. In, for instance, Hungary, the so-called Orbanization of University is underway.

What effect had the rise of right-wing politics on the state of academic freedom and democracy in Europe? What are the factors that have contributed to the increase of right-wing movements and far-right ideologies taking hold? What are potential strategies that could help curb the spread of right-wing populist ideologies to strengthen democratic principles? Tarik Abou-Chadi (University of Oxford / Einstein BUA Oxford Visiting Fellow) and Kriszta Kovács (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin / Cluster of Excellence SCRIPTS) will contribute their expertise and discuss recent political developments together with Matthias Koch (ZEIT-Foundation).

The event is organised by the Berlin University Alliance. Live-Streaming is available.