Deadline to reserve your spot: November 7, 2025.

Join us for the Inaugural Diamond Brown Chair Conference on Democratic Studies, featuring keynote addresses by Steven Levitsky (Harvard), Ashley Jardina (Virginia) and Robert Mickey (Michigan). The conference will be held on November 10 and 11, 2025 in the Faculty Club ballroom, 3450 McTavish Street, McGill University, Montréal, Québec.

This conference critically examines contemporary trends of democratic backsliding and autocratization in North America and other regions, exploring the underlying political, social, and institutional dynamics that threaten democratic resilience. Through keynote addresses and comparative panels, the event analyzes the micro-foundations of voter behavior, the erosion of subnational democracies, and the international repercussions of democratic recession. Special attention is given to the implications for Canada and other democracies facing similar challenges, emphasizing the need for robust responses to rising authoritarian tendencies. The conference aims to contribute to scholarly debates on democratic decline and the prospects for democratic renewal in an era marked by political polarization, populism, and global democratic recession.

Schedule:

November 10, 2025  – Click here to register.

2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

• Welcome and Opening Remarks

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Keynote Address: The Underpinnings of Democratic Erosion in the USA

5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

• Panel 1: Democratic Erosion and Emerging Challenges for Global Governance and International Security (panel co-organized with the Max Bell School of Public Policy)

6:45 p.m.

• Cocktail Reception Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Democratic Citizenship

November 11, 2025 – Click here to register.

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

• Keynote Address: Race, Power, and Democratic Erosion 

11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.

• Panel 2: Micro-foundations of Democratic Backsliding: Who Votes for Autocratic Candidates? (panel co-organized with the CSDC)

1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

• Lunch Break

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

• Panel 3: Democratic Erosion in Contemporary Times: A Cross-Regional Perspective

4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Coffee Break

5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

• Keynote Address: Challenges to Subnational Democracy in the United States

6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.

• Closing Remarks

Please note that the conference and all its sessions will be conducted in English. If you wish to attend both conference days, please note that you will need to register for each one separately.

For more information, click here.