IAGS 2023 Conference – Authoritarianism & Genocide: Narratives of Exclusion
Monday 10 – Friday 14 July 2023, Barcelona, Spain
The decades following the end of the Cold War saw a rise in democratization of governance across the globe. Many nations in Latin America, the Asian-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Africa saw the replacement of strongmen by more representative forms of government. Along with such improvements in governance came the hope for greater inclusivity and respect for human rights.
The last decade has demonstrated that these hopes might have been premature. We have seen a rise in authoritarianism on every continent, though sometimes presented in the guise of majoritarian democracy. Even in nations purportedly with long-established democratic traditions, the threat of authoritarianism, often in the form of populist or right-wing nationalism, has grown in power and poses a real threat to democracy and the rule of law. With the erosion of the rule of law, an ever-growing risk of mass atrocities and genocide have emerged.
At the same time, while it is often argued that democratic institutions and cultural factors tend to dampen genocidal tendencies within societies, democratic states have committed their share of genocides against external as well as internal minoritized target groups. Thus, the question of the relationship among authoritarianism, democracy, and mass violence remains complex.
Authoritarian movements have marshaled social media and the world wide web to facilitate the propagation of hate and dissemination of genocidal violence. Human rights and social justice activists are responding to this authoritarian wave in myriad creative ways. More and more people around the world now see the urgency of the challenge authoritarianism poses. The theme of the conference, Authoritarianism and Genocide: Narratives of Exclusion, is a growing concern of researchers and activists dedicated to the prevention of genocidal violence.
Find more information and book your place here: https://www.iags2023.com/
This event will be held at the School of Law, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 684, 08034 Barcelona, Spain