Memory and Social Movements in Democratic Crises

In recent years, the political landscape across the globe has witnessed a dramatic resurgence of authoritarian practices—even within long-standing democratic regimes. One of the most striking aspects of this transformation is the strategic deployment of collective memory: selective readings of the past, the glorification of particular historical narratives, and the silencing of others have become central tools in the reconfiguration of political legitimacy, national identity, knowledge regimes in policy-making, and other critical indigenous and cultural knowledge. These developments point to an urgent need to reconsider the political uses of memory—not as peripheral, but as central to the dynamics of contemporary governance and political contestations, which are overwhelmingly haunted by repressed memories and silenced voices of the past. This interdisciplinary conference seeks to explore the multifaceted relationship between memory and activism in the context of democratic backsliding, authoritarian resurgence, and shifting political imaginaries. By bringing together scholars from memory studies, political science, sociology, history, cultural studies, legal studies, human rights studies, and adjacent fields, we aim to foster dialogue across disciplines and methodologies.

Keynote Speakers: 

Jenny Wüstenberg | Nottingham Trent University
Andrew Hoskins | University of Edinburgh