’Putin’s Russia’

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"Democracies under Pressure," a new series of short talks presented by the Cluster of Excellence SCRIPTS, kicks off on March 15, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Humboldt Forum with a discussion with political scientist Professor Gwendolyn Sasse

"Putin’s Russia" is the first topic in a new series of short talks presented by the Cluster of Excellence "Contestations of The Liberal Script" (SCRIPTS). The series, which is entitled "Democracies under Pressure," begins on March 15, with all talks held exclusively in German. The first short talk will feature a discussion between journalist Christoph D. Piorkowski and political scientist and SCRIPTS researcher Professor Gwendolyn Sasse. Sasse is the director of the Center for East European and International Studies as well as Einstein Professor for the Comparative Study of Democracy and Authoritarianism at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. She will be answering questions on Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine - understood as an attack on the liberal-democratic order. The talk will take place in the Humboldt Lab at the Humboldt Forum. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and is free of charge and open to all members of the public.

The "Democracies under Pressure" series features three short talks, each with a different SCRIPTS researcher, on a specific subject regarding the current status of democracy and the threats facing it. These talks will be one hour in length and be carried out with a primarily investigative focus. In addition to Professor Sasse, Professor Stefan Gosepath and Professor Tanja A. Börzel from Freie Universität will also be taking part in the series. How do liberal societies react to extreme polarization, to autocracies willing to resort to violence, and to the rise of illiberal forces within Europe? Does democracy need to be defended? These short talks will address internal and external contestations, as well as new conflicts between political systems and within liberal orders themselves.

Professor Sasse has been director of the Center for East European and International Studies since October 2016. Since April 2021, she has been Einstein Professor for the Comparative Study of Democracy and Authoritarianism at the Department of Social Sciences of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Prior to this, she was a professor of comparative politics at the Department of Politics and International Relations and the Oxford School for Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, as well as a professorial fellow at Nuffield College. She maintains her connection to Oxford through her work as a senior research fellow at Nuffield College. In addition, she is a non-resident senior fellow at the think tank Carnegie Europe. She began her academic career by studying history, Slavonic studies, and political science at the University of Hamburg before going on to obtain an MSc and PhD in political science at the London School of Economics. Following this, she took up a post as assistant professor at the Central European University before working as a lecturer/senior lecturer at the London School of Economics. In 2007 she moved to Oxford, where she became a full professor in 2013.

Venue and Time

  • The Humboldt Lab in the Humboldt Forum, Schloßplatz 1, 10178 Berlin, first floor, "Passage" entrance, access via gateways 2 and 4
  • Wednesday, March 15, 2023; talk begins at 6:30 p.m.
  • More events in the series "Democracies under Pressure"

  • Wednesday, April 19, 2023; 6:30-7:45 p.m.; #2 Freedom as a Problem:
    Stefan Gosepath answers questions from Christoph D. Piorkowski
  • Monday, May 22, 2023; 6:30-7:45 p.m., #3 Contestations
    Tanja A. Börzel answers questions from Christoph D. Piorkowski