April 13, 2021
The quality of democracy is under threat the world over, from the Americas to Asia to Europe. In Authoritarianism and Democratic Backsliding in Southeast Asia – a virtual roundtable on April 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET – panelists will discuss how rising authoritarianism is reshaping politics in Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
“The term ‘authoritarianism’ has many different meanings, from nondemocratic rule to illiberal politics to a focus on order and law above civil liberties,” said Thomas Pepinsky, the Walter F. LaFeber Professor in the Department of Government, College of Arts and Sciences, and the event’s moderator. “The panel will provide an overview of the most important features of authoritarianism in their country of focus. This includes the historical or societal forces that have produced the current moment – and the implications for politics over the medium term.”
LOWELL, Mass. â Civil rights leader Fania Davis, UMass Lowellâs 2021 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies, will be in virtual residence at the university next month, when she will lead the annual Day Without Violence and other free events for the campus and community.Â
Davis, who came of age amid the social and political turbulence of the 1960s, pursued her path as a justice-seeker and healer after the murder of two of her childhood friends. She will deliver the Day Without Violence keynote address âRestorative Justice, Racial Justice and Peace Building,â online on Tuesday, April 6 at 12:30 p.m.
Davis will also lead âThe Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice: Resources for Cultivating Peace in Our Communities,â a virtual event presented by UMass Lowell and the Greater Lowell Interfaith Leadership Alliance on Thursday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m.Â
Panelists:
Matthew J Walton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. His research and publications focus on ethnic politics and Buddhist political thought in Myanmar, including his book Buddhism, Politics and Political Thought in Myanmar (2016, Cambridge University Press).
Jacques Bertrand is Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto; Director, Masters’ Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies (Asian Institute, Munk School). He has conducted extensive research on the peace process in Myanmar, and is the co-author with Alexandre Pelletier and Ardeth Thawnghmung of Winning by Process: The State, Democratic Transition, and Ethnic Conflict in Myanmar (forthcoming 2021, Cornell UP).