Complicity in democratic engagement with autocratic systems

Autocratic control of civil society, including academia, can be extended to democratic societies and institutions in ways that pose threats to liberal-democratic values, such as academic freedom, for example through mechanisms and practices that lead to academic self-censorship. Engaging critically...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Eva Pils
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2021-07-01
Series:Ethics & Global Politics
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16544951.2021.1958509
Description
Summary:Autocratic control of civil society, including academia, can be extended to democratic societies and institutions in ways that pose threats to liberal-democratic values, such as academic freedom, for example through mechanisms and practices that lead to academic self-censorship. Engaging critically with the literature on ‘sharp power’ and ‘authoritarian influencing’ addressing this phenomenon, this paper argues that democratic actors who, without sharing the repressive goals of autocracies, contribute to their success in settings of international collaboration and exchange can become structurally complicit with such wrongs. Recognizing the risk of complicity is a necessary first step towards addressing the political responsibilities resulting from it.
ISSN:1654-4951
1654-6369