American Political Philosophy: Threats to Democracy

Julian Jeliński Announcement
Location
Poland
Subject Fields
American History / Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Philosophy, Political History / Studies, Political Science

The Department of Social and Political Philosophy of Wroclaw University

 and “Trickster” Association for Studies and Research of Popular Culture

would like to cordially invite you to second edition of international academic conference American Political Philosophy:

 

American Political Philosophy: Threats to Democracy

The conference will be held in Wroclaw, Poland on the 24th and 25th of June 2016

 

The aim of a constitutional democracy is to safeguard the rights
of the minority and avoid the tyranny of the majority.

Cornel West

2016 is the year of a yet another highly contested presidential campaign in the United States. And numerous presidential candidates already presented (articulated) contrasting visions of the past as well as the future of America, and contrasting diagnoses of the present. This presidential campaign is also unique because of the unprecedented popularity of two candidates harshly criticizing American democracy and the current political system. What is even more surprising – you could not place both candidates farther from each other on the political spectrum. At the same time, they appeal to a similar feelings of frustration, disappointment of voters closely related to the ineffectiveness of democratic processes and lack of accountability of politicians in Washington. And both the firm believer in free market forces and the art of the deal Donald Trump, and the reassuring Americans that democratic socialism can work Bernie Sanders agree that democracy in United Stated is failing its citizens, especially when money in politics influences – if not dictates – what a large number of politicians believe and vote for.

Before American elections come in November of 2016 it is imperative to analyze and discuss issues previously articulated by not only Trump and Sanders, but other candidates as well – shortcomings of and threats to American democracy. These questions are not new, they have been articulated and challenged by the Founding Fathers back in the XVIII century, who tried to solve the puzzle of creating the most democratic system (and what does it mean “most democratic”?), who pondered which threats can harm the new Republic. And the issues of threats to democracy resurfaces ever since that time. American thinkers debated whether the biggest threat to American democracy lays in the unresolved problem of the “color line”; in infiltration of public institutions with soviet agents; in expanding the fragile Union; in granting women the right to vote or in having women stripped of that right. The numerous diagnosis and prophetic declarations were often followed by detailed proposition and plans how to improve American democracy, and these theories will also become an intriguing subject for debates during this years’ conference.

After having organized first scientific conference devoted to American political philosophy in 2015 and receiving positive feedback this year the Organizing Committee is planning to tackle issues related with the threats to American democracy. Issues include, among others:

  • Visions of democracy
  • Limits of American democracy
  • Democracy and the right to vote
  • Demographic changes in America and its influence on democratic processes
  • Is there a crisis of American democracy?
  • Alternatives for the political system in United States
  • Restricting freedom in the name of democracy
  • Civil disobedience and its limits
  • The future of American democracy
  • Tensions between democracy and multiculturalism
  • American democracy and race relations

 

The conference will be concluded with a peer-reviewed monograph scheduled to be published in 2017, that will become the second volume of a series devoted to American political philosophy.

The conference will include keynote lectures and the official languages of the conference will be Polish and English.

Submission form:

https://amerykanskafilozofiapolityczna.wordpress.com/formularz/

Submission deadline: 05.05.2016

Contact: am.filozofia.polityczna@gmail.com

Date: 24–25.06.2016

Place: CaféTHEA, Przejście Żelaźnicze 4, Wrocław, Poland

Notification of acceptance: 15.05.2016

Conference fee payment: 30.05.2016

Conference fee: 200 PLN or 50 EURO (participants from abroad)

Presentation length: 20 minutes

 

Facebook event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1763275450572610/

Facebook profile:

https://www.facebook.com/amfilozofiapolityczna

Website:

https://amerykanskafilozofiapolityczna.wordpress.com/

Contact Information

Contact: am.filozofia.polityczna@gmail.com

Or via Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/amfilozofiapolityczna

Julian Jeliński is the main organizer of the conference being a member of the “Trickster” Association for Studies and Research of Popular Culture and a student of the Department of Social and Political Philosophy of Wroclaw University.

Contact Email
am.filozofia.polityczna@gmail.com