“Battles for Pluralism: Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Great Democratic Unknown” by Dan Slater, Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan. This event is part of the Political Economy Lunch Seminar (PELS).
In a pattern oft-repeated across world history, the culturally diverse nations of Indonesia and Malaysia have moved in recent decades from strict hegemonic rule to open political competition. Out of one, many. Whenever and wherever such transitions occur, most typically with the end of an empire or the demise of a dictatorship, it is highly uncertain whether democracy and diversity can flourish – either alone or in tandem. Battles for Pluralism historically traces these parallel transitions in two of the world’s only Muslim-majority democracies. It offers a comparative perspective on the enduring and surprisingly successful struggles of pluralists in Indonesia and Malaysia to build winning coalitions in support of both securing democracy and protecting diversity. It places special stress on how the decaying decades of authoritarian hegemony laid obstacles in the path of democracy’s champions and diversity’s defenders, and on how elite failure rather than a lack of mass support has limited and continues to threaten pluralism’s gains. The book’s simple guiding conviction is that for democracy and diversity to work, political coalitions supporting democracy and diversity need to win.
No prior registration necessary. If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Slater at slater[at]hertie-school[dot]org