The Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) celebrated its 35th birthday on 8 November with a revival of its CSD Encounter series to highlight the work of its founder Professor John Keane. The event took place at Westminster’s historic Little Titchfield Street Site and brought together experts from the field of politics and international relations to explore central themes in Keane’s work.
The CSD was established in 1989 by Professor Keane at the University of Westminster. Over the years, CSD acquired a tradition of hosting Encounter events which featured panels engaging in-depth with a body of work by distinguished public intellectuals such as Judith Butler, Stuart Hall, Bruno Latour, Richard Rorty and Charles Taylor, followed by concluding keynotes from them. The last CSD Encounter was held in 2015 with postcolonial theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.
Professor Nitasha Kaul, Professor of Politics, International Relations and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies and CSD Director since 2023, revived the Encounter series with the help of colleagues, especially Dr Patrick Burke, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, and Namgyel Wangchuk, a PhD student at CSD.
About the revival Professor Kaul commented: “It has been a labour of love spanning over a year to resuscitate CSD Encounter, and I am so proud of how it all came together."
For its 35th birthday, the CSD invited its founder Professor Keane to be the focus of his own Encounter event. Speakers from within the University opened the session, including Professor Kaul; Alan Porter, Head of the School of Social Sciences; Professor Dibyesh Anand, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and Employability; and Professor Andrew Linn, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange.
During the day, Dr Burke chaired a panel on civil society and democracy, Rob Macmaster, Westminster Principal Lecturer in Political Theory, chaired a panel on public life and late capitalism, and Dr Elisabetta Brighi, Assistant Head of Social Sciences, chaired a panel on fools, folly and politics. On each panel, various invited speakers from the UK and abroad examined these themes in relation to Professor Keane's work. Professor Roland Dannreuther, Professor of International Relations, then chaired the last panel of the day, where former CSD members were invited to return and reflect on the contribution of CSD to their academic journeys.
Before the keynote lecture, Professor Kaul formally introduced Professor John Keane and reflected upon her interactions with him going back over a decade and a half. She highlighted the significance of active thinking about politics in an era witnessing wide-ranging challenges to the ideal and practice of democracy.
Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Bonfield delivered a speech welcoming attendees to the University of Westminster in which he praised the effort of renewing the Encounter series and the bright future ahead for CSD with Professor Kaul. Professor Bonfield said of the event: “It was wonderful to hear from all those involved in the CSD before, all of whom, with me, are also so looking forward to its future under the stewardship of Professor Kaul. Congratulations to Professor Kaul, the organising team, speakers and delegates for an excellent, thought-provoking event.”
For his keynote lecture, Professor Keane outlined the arguments of his latest book, China’s Galaxy Empire, which conceptualises modern day China as a “galaxy empire”. This was followed by a lively discussion on the themes of the lecture chaired by Professor Kaul, where she emphasised the need to have conversations even when agreements may not follow. In her closing remarks, she thanked the University of Westminster at all levels for its support and commended the audience for their commitment and engagement to the vitality of public discourse on significant political matters.
About the CSD, Professor Anand said: "The role of our Centre for the Study of Democracy, as exhibited most recently through the Encounter, is integral to our mission as a global and progressive university that promotes research and education meaningful for tackling national and global changes and challenges. We are grateful to the Centre for reviving its flagship Encounter and helping us in our institutional objective of "finding solutions to make a difference for our communities and the world". It was heartening to see colleagues, former and current, scholars from other institutions and students come together to listen, learn, question, face different viewpoints and explore some of the most pressing matters relating to democracies around the world."
The CSD at the University of Westminster contributes to many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including 10: Reduced Inequalities, 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster.
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