Democracy under Siege – Article in AAC&U Newsletter

Posted by American Association of Colleges and Universities on November 20, 2018

This article attempts to reframe what is going on with US democracy and democracies elsewhere in a different way than the divided political parties that governs the narrative in this period of unsettling turmoil and attacks on democratic structures from the US to Poland, Nicaragua, Hungary, Brazil, and elsewhere. The article argues that to see the political divisiveness in the US in the usual ways is to obscure the far more dangerous assault to democratic principles, processes, and values. If the points outlined in this article are accurate, it means we in higher education in the US and certainly elsewhere are facing a much more threatening environment. We dare not assume previous responses to create more “civil societies” will be sufficient. It suggests we need to rethink what strategies to employ and what priorities to elevate in campus practices, curriculum, community-based partnerships, and teaching.

Here is the link just to the article itself, Democracy Under Siege: A Category IV Storm: https://www.aacu.org/aacu-news/newsletter/2018/november/perspectives