301271 Authoritarian Practices and Transregional Politics (S) (WiSe 2023/2024)

Recent cycles of polarization or seemingly irreconcilable antagonisms have characterized global tendencies of authoritarian practices within democratic systems. In contrast to conventional forms of authoritarianism as a regime type, we are witnessing transregionally intertwined authoritarian practices that are neither limited to electoral struggles nor graspable by the concept of the nation-state. Although the state plays an important role in shaping such practices, the policies and contexts that influence them are not limited to state borders. This seminar will examine the coexistence of authoritarian practices and democratic processes, with particular attention to recent developments in the Americas. After an introduction to the theoretical lens (authoritarian practices and state power), we will explore three subthemes. First, we focus on the processes of militarization and relate them with the political-economic phenomenon of neo-extractivism. Second, we analyze the role of migration regimes in interaction with politics of enmity. Third, we closely examine power asymmetries in regional drug policy processes in the Americas. The pessimistic outlook on authoritarian practices is countered with an invitation to rethink the state and engage with proposals for emancipatory politics in a transregional context.