Members of the Providence College community are warmly invited to attend a lecture by, and discussion with, Karsten Fischer, Professor of Political Science at the Ludwig-Maximiliansuniversität in Munich, Germany. Professor Fischer is a historian of political ideas and political theorist who is widely published on the interrelation of culture and political systems, in particular on moral and psychological aspects of political communication. The event is sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and Political Science, with generous support from the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
Abstract. Political science tends to explain differences in Western democracies with their presidential or parliamentary institutional structure. In the wake of authoritarian populism, however, it is not only in the USA on January 6, 2021, but also e.g. in France and Germany that democratic majority decisions and thus the core element of democracy are being challenged. The lecture considers these developments and looks for socio-psychological explanations to supplement the insufficient institutionalist approach.
