Rethinking Democracy

REDEM was originally established as a faculty-level platform where its output in terms of research, teaching impact, and societal engagement was reviewed by an external committee.

Some of the things the reviewers said

'The work of REDEM is original, multidisciplinary and international as evidenced through numerous partnerships and research collaborations. REDEM represents a truly multidisciplinary effort combining disciplines across the Social Sciences and Humanities to address some of the most urgent issues of our times. REDEM is a vibrant hub for events (seminars and conferences) as well as a series of research projects that address an original research agenda. In sum, REDEM fulfils the criteria set out by the University at an excellent level. I thus recommend the continuation of the REDEM work.'

'Given the backlash against and challenges to democracy which democratic societies around the world have experienced in the past years, I could hardly think of research topics in the social sciences that are more pressing than “democracy research”. In addition, the need to “rethink democracy” becomes obvious in view of the macro-transformations societies are witnessing (globalization incl. global migration, digitalization, climate change, global power shifts, plus a pandemic on top). Concentrating resources at Malmö University to bring together researchers and teachers to reflect upon the challenges associated with “rethinking democracy” therefore seems useful.' (Evaluation of the Research Platform REDEM, 2021)

PhD-led workshops

Following a competitive call open to all PhDs at the Department of Global Political Studies, REDEM supported a series of international workshops with both local and international speakers. One included collaborating with the Gender Studies Research Group at MaU.

Isobel Squire - workshop 26 May 2023: How is illiberal democracy navigating gender politics? Moving from backlash to pragmatics in Poland.

With Weronika Grzebalska, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences. Weronika Grzebalska built upon her work on the surprising gender politics in the defence sector in Poland under populist right-wing governance. Her presentation discussed the shortcomings of the mainstream ‘backlash’ and ‘anti-gender’ literature, and alternative frameworks for addressing illiberal gender politics.

Sarah Bodelson - workshop 8 May 2023.: Thinking through reproductive justice in times of democratic backsliding.

Co-organised with the Gender Studies Research Group at Malmö University. With Soledad Quintana Fernández, a midwife working with abortions and Nada Amroussia, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Health and Society whose research project is titled ”Sexual and reproductive health equity from Policy to Practice: experiences of healthcare providers and migrant youth in Southern Sweden”.

Jess Haynie-Lavelle - workshop 26 April 2023: Blockchain & Healthcare Privacy

With Petra Müllerová, Lund University. The seminar-workshop created a space to explore blockchain within health care to engage with the questions: Can dominant blockchain technologies (Proof-of-burn, Practical Byzantine fault tolerance, Proof-of-stake, Proof-of-work) offer safe and secure access to health information sharing via mobile platforms? How might these interactions reproduce known vulnerabilities within the healthcare system and education on the individual’s health care? A paper on the resulting discussion will be submitted for publication.

Global Politics as a Tool for rethinking democracy

Participatory workshop at Storm, Malmö University, 25 April 2023.

Over a third of the Department of Global Political Studies gathered to develop new ways of thinking about democracy. Colleagues present described it as having given them 'the best conversations with one another in 25 years of working' at Malmö University.

Facilitated by Michael Strange, the session asked the related questions: What was your past view of the future of democracy? What is your present view of the future of democracy?

The conference in September 2021 explored the challenge and opportunities the pandemic created for democracy, with a special focus on everyday democratic engagement, conviviality, local politics, activism and communication for social change.

Wednesday 15 September

Intro and welcome

With Professor Rebecka Lettevall, Dean of the Faculty of Culture and Society

MaU Play – welcome by Dean Rebecka Lettevall

The Pandemic as an Accelerator: Implications of Digitalization

Keynote 1 with Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Professor of social anthropology, University of
Oslo. Chair: Oscar Hemer, Malmö University

MaU Play – keynote 1: Thomas Hylland Eriksen

Distrust, fear and disinformation

Paper panel 1 with Chair: Anders Hög Hansen, K3, Malmö University.

MaU Play – Panel 1: Distrust, fear and Disinformation

The Pandemic’s role in reconfiguring power relations

Paper panel 2 with Chair: Maria Brock, K3, Malmö University.

MaU Play – Panel 2: The Pandemic's role in reconfiguring power relations

Roundtable discussion

Magdalena Nowiska (Humboldt university Germany),
Marina Nistotskaya (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) and Gabriel Siles-Brugge (Warwick University, UK)

Covid-19 and Governance: Crisis reveals

Keynote 2 with Jan Nederveen Pieterse, Professor of Global Studies and Sociology at the University of California Santa Barbara US. Chair: Oscar Hemer

MaU Play – Keynote 2: Jan Nederveen Pieterse

Thursday 16 September

The connective work of everyday democratic repair

Keynote 3 with Carolyn Hendriks, Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy
Australian National University. Chair: Michael Strange, Malmö University

Mau Play – Keynote 3: Carolyn Hendriks

Populism and the pandemic

Paper panel 3 with Chair: Anders Hellström, Malmö
University.

Mau Play – Panel 3: Populism and the Pandemic

Media distrust and vaccine hesitancy in the context of the covid-19 pandemic crisis: findings from a European Panel survey

Keynote 4 with Anne Kaun, Media and Communication Studies, Södertörn University,
Sweden. Chair: Tina Askanius, Malmö University.

Mau Play – Keynote 4: Anne Kaun

Paper sessions

1. Distrust, fear and disinformation

Chair: Anders Hög Hansen, K3, Malmö University

• “I trust in no one!” Exploring vaccination hesitancy as everyday politics. Author: Mia-Marie Hammarlin, Lund University, Sweden
• Mis/Dis-Information and Webinars about Syria During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Author: Josepha Wessels, K3, Malmö University, Sweden
• Pandemocracy And The Politics Of Fear: Beyond The State Of Exception. Authors: Dan Degerman (Department of Philosophy University of Bristol), Matthew Johnson (Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion, Lancaster University) and Matthew Flinders (Department of Politics and Sir Bernard Crick Centre University of Sheffield)

2. The pandemic’s role in reconfiguring power relations

Chair: Maria Brock, K3, Malmö University

• A Convivial Turn: Reimagining Democracy and Global Governance in the Post-Pandemic World. Author: Sungjoon Cho, Professor of Law, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
• The Democratic Paradox of the Israeli COVID-19 Regulations. Author: Sharon Yadin, University of Haifa, Israel
• Putin, Parade, Plebiscite, Pandemic: Legitimation strategies and dilemmas in Russia’s first year of Covid-19. Authors: Bo Petersson, Malmö University and Matthew Blackburn, Uppsala University

3. Populism and the pandemic

Chair: Anders Hellström, GPS, Malmö University

• Populism and COVID-19: How Populist Governments (Mis)Handle the Pandemic. Authors: Michael Bayerlein, Kiel Institute for the World Economy; Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel; Vanessa A. Boesex, Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, University of Gothenburg; Scott Gates (Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), University of Oslo; Katrin Kaminy, Kiel Institute for the World Economy; Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Syed Mansoob Murshedk, Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity (CFCI), Coventry University
• Populist communication in pandemic times: How populist presidents in Latin America performed during the COVID-19 crisis. Authors: Aline Burni, German Development Institute and Eduardo Ryo Tamaki, Federal University of Minas Gerais
• The political uses of the covid pandemic in the rise of Greek authoritarianism. Authors: Filippa Chatzistavrou and Konstantinos Papanikolaou (Department of Political Science and Public Administration, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)