KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 30, 2024 – Political scientist José Antonio Cheibub will discuss whether presidents are responsible for democratic backsliding at the University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium Tuesday, Oct. 8. Cheibub is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Taking a global perspective, his work questions whether presidents are truly to blame for democratic backsliding, challenging the common belief that they are the primary threat to democracy.
Cheibub is a recipient of the American Political Science Association’s Woodrow Wilson Award for the best book published in the U.S. on government, politics or international affairs for his co-authored book Democracy and Development. He has conducted research around the world, speaking on global forms of government in Brazil, Mexico, Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Arab world.
This year’s colloquium examines threats to democracy at home and abroad. Hosted by the University’s Honors Program, URI’s annual lecture series is examining the challenges democracy faces.
“This year, in our country, we are preparing for a national presidential election, something we have done 59 times in our country’s history,” says political science department chair Marc Hutchison. “It’s one of the most fundamental elements of democracy.”
Hutchison says this year’s colloquium is not just about this year’s election. The faculty members in URI’s political science department are motivated to present the series by the drop in democracies witnessed world-wide in the last decade. Hutchison notes that the series starts from the premise that democracy is worth working for.
“It’s not perfect, but democracy remains the best approach to give ordinary people a say in how they are governed,” he says. “Only in democracy can people live under the laws of their own choosing. At its best, democracy can help protect human rights, challenge grand-scale private power, increase broad-based prosperity, and promote human dignity and self-actualization. The purpose of this colloquium is to highlight global trends, recognize that the U.S. is not immune from them, and hopefully provide guidance on how we can work to build a stronger, more resilient democracy at home and abroad.”
Cheibub will speak at 7 p.m. at Edwards Hall on the Kingston Campus, in the fall colloquium series, “Democracy in Peril,” which will also be streamed (livestream links will be available the night of each event on the colloquium website).
His lecture will be followed Oct. 22 by international security expert/scholar Risa Brooks speaking on “The Role of Militaries in Democratic Decline.”
This year’s colloquium has drawn wide interest across the URI campus. A campus art exhibit on ‘The Politics of Personality’ opens Oct. 1 in Lippitt Hall and URI Theatre’s season-opener, Machinal, opens Oct. 10, offering a timely look at the subjugation of women in modern society. The Center for the Humanities hosts Pulitzer Prize finalist Alex Keyssar for a talk on “Democratic Crises and Structural Change” on Oct. 23 and the Hera Gallery, in nearby Wakefield, is gathering thoughts on democracy from attendees at each week’s colloquium lecture for an upcoming exhibition on ‘Democracy Under Siege.’
The URI Honors Colloquium is free and open to the public. Lectures are held most Tuesday evenings this fall, through Nov. 12 and prior talks can be viewed here. Visit the Honors Colloquium site for details and register to get updates and reminders here or by emailing urihonors@etal.uri.edu.