About Programs Fellowship News Calendar
Democratic systems in the US and worldwide face complex challenges and threats. Authoritarian power, populism, anti-democratic propaganda, and political polarization have reshaped geopolitics and put democracy on the defensive. In addition, economic and racial divisions are driving political and cultural polarization, and the landscape of power, pluralism, and representation is shifting unlike any time in the last three decades.
Confrontations between authoritarian and democratic systems have been escalating for years, culminating in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a full-scale mobilization to defend democratic values and the right to self-determination. In the United States, the attempted insurrection of January 6, 2021, and other internal threats to democratic values are deepening structural divisions and raising critical questions about the resilience of America’s democratic institutions.
As part of Salzburg Global Seminar’s 75th anniversary in 2022, and our long tradition of American Studies Programs, this program focused on how democracies are responding to internal and external threats and examined the role of American Studies in reinforcing democratic values for the next 75 years.
During this year´s program our participants debated crucial questions:
The highly-participatory program mixed curated conversations with distinguished guests, knowledge exchange, practical group workshops, and informal interactions on topical issues to maximize cross-sector interaction among participants. The format provided multiple opportunities for all participants to share their knowledge and expertise on equal terms and to build new alliances and research projects.
