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Democracy under siege
Hybrid event
Join Professor A. C. Grayling, one of the UK’s leading public philosophers and author of For the People: Fighting Authoritarianism, Saving Democracy, in conversation with Dr Leor Zmigrod, a political neuroscientist and author of The Ideological Brain, as part of the Calleva-Airey Neave Global Security Seminar Series. The seminar is moderated by Dr Julia Ebner, Calleva Researcher and Leader of Oxford’s Violent Extremism Lab.
As the closing seminar of the series, this session will consider the contemporary pressures facing democratic systems, including the role of political structures, information ecosystems, and individual psychological predispositions. It will examine how institutional and cognitive factors intersect to shape the resilience or vulnerability of democratic governance in the face of authoritarian and extremist currents, and reflect on possible strategies — institutional, civic, and psychological — for strengthening democratic practices and safeguarding political freedoms in a rapidly changing global environment.
The event is followed by a drinks reception.
Date:
25 November 2025, 17:00
Venue:
Blavatnik School of Government, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter OX2 6GG
Venue Details:
In person and online
Speakers:
A. C. Grayling (Principal of Northeastern University London),
Dr Leor Zmigrod (Political Psychologist and Neuroscientist),
Dr Julia Ebner (University of Oxford)
Organising department:
Blavatnik School of Government
Organiser:
Blavatnik School of Government (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address:
events@bsg.ox.ac.uk
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/events/democracy-under-siege
Cost:
This event is free - please register at the above link
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Anna Ulshofer
