Democratic Decline and Possible Responses

Democratic institutions can serve as a powerful mechanism for channeling constructive conflict, which makes a recent wave of democratic decline particularly concerning. In this episode, we hear from Sebnem Gumuscu, associate professor of political science and head of the undergraduate "pillar" of the CT Collaborative at Middlebury. Gumuscu is an expert on Turkey and teaches classes on threats to democracy, politics of the Middle East, and comparative politics. She is also trained as a facilitator in reflective structured dialogue. She is author of two books, most recently Democracy or Authoritarianism: Islamist Governments in Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia (Cambridge University Press) focuses on Islamist parties and their democratic commitments in power.

Learn more about Prof. Gumuscu here: https://www.middlebury.edu/college/people/sebnem-gumuscu 

The audio for this podcast is generously shared with us through the Faculty at Home webinar series, another Middlebury initiative. You can see a video recording of this talk and others in the series here: https://www.middlebury.edu/provost/faculty-home/spring-2024-recorded-series.