Virtual event, co-organized by network member Benjamin Schütze, brought together researchers from nine countries.

From 17 to 19 March, 2021, the virtual Junior Researcher Conference “Authoritarianism & Democracy – Transnational and Multiscalar Perspectives on Power and Spaces of Contestation” was held at the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute Freiburg (ABI). Co-organized by EDP network member Benjamin Schütze, together with colleagues from ABI as well as the universities of Freiburg and Jena, the event brought together 19 scholars from nine different countries.

Thematically, the conference focused on the relationship between democracy and authoritarianism beyond the boundaries of the nation-state. During several panels, discussions and roundtables, participants explored both the authoritarian turn in democratic settings as well as the prevention of democracy through actors like China. It sought to highlight important, yet unexplored reasons for an authoritarian turn, beyond a preference to maintain political stability.

Furthermore, the event pursued the principles of collective feedback and multidisciplinary dialogue, specifically connecting scholars from different research fields and in varying stages of their academic careers.