Illiberalism and Insurgent Politics

This workshop consists of two panels that interrogate the dynamics between illiberal regimes and insurgent politics across China, Hong Kong, India, Indian adminstered-Kashmir, and the Philippines. The first panel explores the historical formation and contemporary arrangement of illiberal regimes that have manifested in both “authoritarian” and “democratic” societies. It takes a “top-down” perspective to unpack the various logics and mechanisms invoked by these regimes (law, land, explicit and implicit violence, religion, citizenship rights, nationalism, and etc.) as well as their entanglement with global capitalism and international politics. The second panel takes a “bottom-up” approach to provide in-depth accounts of the strategies, tactics, contradictions, and constraints within and between the movements. Connecting these places, we hope to reflect on the nature of popular struggles in the Global South and to chart a path forward.

Panel I: Illiberal Regimes – Formation and Logics

Chair/discussant:
Netina Tan
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, McMaster University

Panelists:
Sida Liu
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto

Vince Wong
Adjunct Professor and William C. Graham Research Associate at International Human Rights Program, University of Toronto

Malavika Kasturi
Associate Professor, Department of Historical Studies, University of Toronto

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Panel II: Insurgent Politics – Multi-dimensions and Prospects

Chair/discussant:
Nadine Attewell
Associate Professor, Department of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University

Panelists:
Conely De Leon
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Ryerson University

Idrisa Pandit
Independent scholar and Adjunct Professor, Luther University College, Wilfrid Laurier University

Edward Hon-Sing Wong
Ph.D. Student, Department of Social Work, York University

Jonathan Hai
Mechatronics Engineering Student, McMaster University

On-site artwork exhibit: Provided by McMaster Stands with Hong Kong

Event details: https://socrates.mcmaster.ca/events/illiberalism-insurgency/