The life, death & afterlives of Athenian democracy
Professor Melissa Lane
Tue 1 December at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm GMT
£4.00 – £10.00 Democracy under Threat
BRLSI’s Democracy Under Threat series invites you to pause and take stock by surveying the wealth of history and political thinking which underpins our long-held democratic systems and institutions. It explores the laying down of democratic principles from Ancient Athens to the present day, and takes in current scenarios in international geopolitics, while considering Britain as its own small island with its own set of political traditions.
Whatever your thoughts about the pressures on our current democracies, BRLSI’s Democracy Under Threat series invites you to pause and take stock as we collectively take the long view across history and the breadth of political thinking which underpins our long held democratic systems and institutions.
So where did it all begin? Originating in a popular uprising against foreign invaders, ancient Athenians developed the first democracy in Ancient Greece: making the majority of citizens the deciders of key political questions and enabling them to hold their leaders to account – even while vulnerable to rhetorical manipulation. Having regrouped in the aftermath of military defeat, the democracy lived on in altered forms under later foreign pressure for longer than is often recognised. And in centuries to come, Athenian democracy would serve as a warning of mob rule for some, an inspiration of popular power for others.
This talk will explore the life, death and many afterlives of Athenian democracy, asking what we might learn in facing up to the threats to democratic rule today.
Professor Melissa Lane, Princeton University
Please note that Professor Lane will not be at BRLSI in person – she will be giving the talk live from America and the talk will be shown on the large screen in the Elwin Room.
A discount of 20% is on offer to all those purchasing five tickets or more from the series, excluding the conference on the 4th of July.
To learn more about Democracy Under Threat and the exciting range of speakers coming up as part of the programme, don’t forget to follow our Democracy Under Threat Webpage:
