Lecture series in summer semester '26: Under Pressure. On democracy, trust and the public sphere.

About the lecture series

Democratic societies are currently under a variety of pressures: political polarisation, global shifts in power and digital public spheres are changing the conditions under which democratic processes function. At the same time, trust in institutions, media and political actors is increasingly faltering.

The lecture series looks at these developments and questions the stability and sustainability of democratic systems. In four lectures, renowned experts will shed light on different perspectives - from fundamental questions of political practice to international developments and the dynamics of digital radicalisation.

lecture recordings

Some of the lectures in the series were recorded. You can watch the following lectures here:

• "The future of democracy as a practical task" (Prof. Dr Frank Decker, University of Bonn) [lecture in German]
• "Democracy Under Threat: a Transatlantic Perspective" (Prof. Daniel Ziblatt, Ph.D., Harvard University, WZB Berlin)

For students and university members, the lecture

• "Digital threats to democracy: Radicalisation online using the example of the mannosphere" (Sina Laubenstein, ISD Germany, Berlin)

 is also available via WueCampus (WueCampus access and login required).