RevDem Podcast

In conversation with our editor Ferenc Laczo, Mitchell Orenstein, Professor of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses post-communist transitions.

Ferenc Laczo talks with Jennifer Evans (Carleton University) about the new Holocaust memory debate. Jennifer Evans curated a series of articles in the New Fascism Syllabus (NFS) responding to a paper written by historian Dirk Moses in the Swiss history journal Geschichte der Gegenwart [History of Today]. In “The German Catechism,” Moses (UNC-Chapel Hill) argued that remembering the Holocaust was considered a moral foundation of the Federal Republic and that comparing it to other genocides was heresy. Moses suggested that it was time to abandon this catechism. His article sparked a very spirited discussion. “The Catechism Debate” reached more than 36,000 views and has attracted media attention in Germany, with follow-ups appearing in the country’s most prestigious newspapers.   You can also read the interview on our website: revdem.ceu.edu

Ferenc Laczo discusses with Mira Siegelberg her latest book "Statelessness", the story of a much-contested legal category. 

Do populists pose a threat to constitutional democracy? Are populists always the villains in our tales about democracy? Bojan Bugarič answers these questions in a conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska. He also talks about his recent book on the relationship between constitutionalism and populism, co-authored with Mark Tushnet.

Elias Buchetmann talks to Till van Rahden about his latest book 'Demoracy: A Fragile Way of Life', which focuses on the history of democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany and raises fundamental questions about the nature of democracy around the world. 

RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó spoke to Stephen Wertheim, Director of Grand Strategy at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and Visiting Faculty Fellow at the Center for Global Legal Challenges at Yale Law School, about his new book, Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of US Global Diplomacy. The book explores the moment in which the US decided to lead the post-war world and become the global hegemon – a pivotal decision in the origins of our time. 

In an interview with our assistant editor Bence Bari, Vera Mérő, Hungarian journalist, media researcher, human rights activist, founder and host of the Facebook page and foundation “Nem tehetsz róla, tehetsz ellene” (“You are not responsible for it, but you can respond to it”) discusses the questions of representation, popularization, internal conflicts and successes, challenges and leeways provided by the political and the social sphere when it comes to human rights activism in Hungary since 2016 - a space much defined by the ambiguous policy and rhetoric of the Orbán governments.

Petr Agha (University of Copenhagen) discusses the clash between populism and antipopulism, and the implications for Europe, in conversation with Oliver Garner.

What is the societal dimension of the rule of law? How can we improve democracy on the European Union level? Is there a place for citizens engagement in design of the Conference on the Future of Europe? Paul Blokker, an associate professor at the University of Bologna, in a conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska, unpacked all these issues.

In an interview with our assistant editor Bence Bari, Lili Rutai, Hungarian feminist journalist and podcaster, co-founder and co-host of the popular podcast series "Vénusz Projekt," discusses the representation and the popularization of feminism in Hungary - all of which must be done in opposition to popular misconceptions, the hostile rhetoric of the Orbán government and the restrictive measures on press freedom.