Democratic Ceilings and Nationalist Conflict in Asia

You’re invited to join Aram Hur, Associate Professor of Political Science and Kim Koo Chair in Korean Studies at Tufts University, for a Global Challenges to Democracy Seminar.

In December 2024, South Korea shocked the world with the declaration of martial law. How could a seemingly thriving democracy regress so suddenly? The crisis shows how democracies can “hit a ceiling” in key areas of the democratic process, even as the system matures. The talk traces how formative nationalist conflicts cast a long shadow on democratic quality by incentivizing nationalist polarization—a specific form of partisan polarization that subverts the very rules of the democratic game.

Lunch will be served. This event will be recorded.

This event is co-sponsored by the Korea Institute at Harvard University. 

Office Hours

In addition to this event, interested Harvard faculty, fellows, and students can sign up for office hours to meet with Aram Hur. Slots are first come, first served and are available from 2:00 – 4:00pm on November 19th.

Sign up for office hours.

About the Series

In the span of a few years, democracy has gone from a likely, if distant, destination for much of the world to a far more tenuous prospect. This seminar series, co-chaired by Professors Yanilda María González and Gautam Nair and hosted by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, delves deep into the various challenges, both internal and external, that stand in the way of building more accountable, responsive, and capable democracy. Leading scholars of politics provide insights using a wide variety of methods and expertise in countries from across the globe.

Event Details