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In a context where Australia has had six prime ministers in 10 years, where media interference is being blamed for political instability and where Trump-style politics is the new norm, a leading political thinker argues democracy urgently needs a rethink.

Professor John Keane, Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney, will give a public lecture at The University of Western Australia tomorrow: “Is Democracy Dying? Thoughts on the Present Crisis of Representative Democracy and the Importance of Hope in Dark Times” as part of Social Sciences Week, which runs from September 10 to 14.

His talk will cover a range of themes, from the growth of cross-border institutions and capitalist market failures to the greening of democracy, the dignity of children and the anti-democratic effects of everyday fear, violence and bigotry.

Professor Keane’s lecture will be held in the Austin Lecture Theatre, in the Arts Building at UWA tomorrow, Tuesday 11 September from 6pm to 7.30pm.

Social Sciences Week is an opportunity for social scientists to engage non-academic audiences with cutting edge social science research, to showcase the diversity and relevance of social science. It will include interactive community and school-based events, bringing the social sciences to life, particularly for the next generation of university students, social scientists and citizens.

Other UWA events include a master class with Professor Keane: The New 21st-Century Despotism: how to spot them, why they are novel and how their resilience may be surprising and a community discussion on how to challenge and combat right-wing populism involving Professor Keane, UWA’s Professor Mark Beeson and other speakers from UWA and the community.

Media references

David Stacey (UWA Media and Public Relations Manager)        08 6488 3229 / 0432 637 716