Scholars talk about challenges to democracies in Boulder panel discu…

The Boulder community gathered Wednesday night for an expert panel discussion tackling the question of how modern democracies can find stability in an increasingly polarized world.

The discussion, titled “Can Multicultural Democracies Survive?,” was presented by History Colorado and is part of the “Voices at Chautauqua” series through the Colorado Chautauqua Association. The event brought out around 80 people who filled the Chautauqua Community House, 301 Morning Glory Drive.

Three Colorado scholars were brought on as panelists for the event: Joe Jupille, associate professor of political science at the University of Colorado Boulder; Yogesh Chandrani, assistant professor of Asian studies and religion at Colorado College; and Francisco Rodriguez, professor of the practice of international and public affairs at the University of Denver.

The panel was moderated by Claire Garcia, professor of English at Colorado College. Garcia introduced the topic by talking about her own experience with equality and inclusion in the U.S.

“In recent years, many of our American democratic processes and institutions have been stress-tested, and I’m not exactly sure how well we’ve passed those tests,” she said. “Basic rights and freedoms that I always thought were central to democracy seem to be contracting, not expanding.”

For over an hour, Chandrani, Jupille and Rodriguez considered subjects of citizenship, nationalism and economic progress. Chandrani discussed India’s emergence as a democracy amid the ethnic tension of its diverse groups and its problems regarding voter suppression and vote buying.

“It’s a numbers game – whichever politician is adept at statistics is going to win,” he said.

Jupille, a specialist on the European Union, pointed out the EU’s historic role of helping countries transition from authoritarianism to democracy. “It seemed like the plan was working out,” he said, before what he called the resurgence of populism in Western Europe and the democratic decline of countries in Eastern Europe.

“We are absolutely in a world of democratic backslide,” Jupille said.

Rodriguez talked about the rise of leaders who claim that elections have been subverted and “stolen” from them, citing presidents from mostly South American countries. Democracy, Rodriguez said, only works if those in power accept election results.

Some audience members also posed their own questions, including one attendee who asked if the panelists had any positive examples of citizens advocating for democracy under authoritarian regimes.

“You need brave people, but you need something else,” Rodriguez answered. “You need the governing coalition to break down. Brave individuals don’t do it by themselves.”