The Center for Critical Democracy Studies (CCDS)

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The Center for Critical Democracy Studies was founded in 2016 to foster an interdisciplinary approach to questions of democracy. Purposely aligned with AUP’s liberal arts curriculum, the Center encourages all fields from the natural and environmental sciences to the social sciences and humanities to explore democracy as a social state, a political regime, and a form of agency. Center-sponsored research is global, inter- and trans-disciplinary. The Center has received generous support from the Mellon Foundation and the Annenberg Foundation and received three multinational Horizon Europe projects supported by the EU research & innovation program. It sponsors the publication of The Tocqueville Review/La Revue Tocqueville, its online platform Tocqueville21, and the Analyse & Kritik journal. Offering a platform for the organization of conferences and events around key themes of democracy’s past, present, and future, CCDS is committed to generating innovative pedagogies designed to foster critical thinking on the history, theory, and practice of democracy. The Center also sponsors scholars-in-residence who deliver talks and lead pedagogy seminars.

Research Projects

Horizon grants, collaborations

Fellows' publications

Recent books, articles, reviews, and blogs

Publishing

Tocqueville Review, Analyse & Kritik

Curriculum

Courses, democracy labs, prison education, clinical projects, student research

Community

Fellows, visiting scholars, interns

Visiting Scholars

Apply for a research residence at the CCDS

CCDS Highlights

Selected Past Events: conferences, symposia, lectures, exhibitions

      ccdsataup.edu ()

Mission of the Center

The Center for Critical Democracy Studies pursues inquiry into the emancipatory possibilities of democracy in the widest sense. We encourage work that understands democracy as a way of organizing social relations based on equality and as a means of self-governing toward individual and collective liberty. We seek to engage in scholarly debate on contemporary and historical questions while pursuing curricular and extra-curricular activities to produce new ways of understanding and practicing democracy.