Speaker Series

Phil Lind Initiative 2021 | January - March, 2021

The Anti-Democratic Turn

This series has now ended.

The unprecedented assault on the rules and norms of democracy in the US over the past four years has exposed its vulnerability. The problems have become all too familiar: corruption, disinformation, foreign interference, gerrymandering, social media complicity, voter suppression, and the previously inconceivable threat that the outgoing president would refuse to concede and instead launch a series of futile but harmful legal challenges to democracy itself. Despite the eventual outcome of the presidential election, democracy in the US may not be as resilient as we once thought. If we accept that the previous administration is a symptom of more deeply rooted problems in American society, how do we begin to address these emerging fault lines in the democratic process? How can we protect the integrity of our democracies in an era marked by authoritarian resurgence and nativist backlash?

Each of the 2021 Phil Lind Initiative virtual series events was public and free to attend.

Subscribe to our Phil Lind Initiative Newsletter for updates on our future series.

Find books authored by our speakers on the UBC Bookstore website.

The Phil Lind Initiative is hosted by UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.

#LIND21

Michael Sandel

Political philosopher; Professor, Harvard University

Charles M. Blow

Op-Ed columnist, The New York Times; Best-selling author

Anne Applebaum

Writer, The Atlantic; Pulitzer Prize-winning historian

Timothy Snyder

Professor of History, Yale University; Award-winning author

Danielle Allen

James Bryant Conant University Professor, Harvard University; political theorist; public intellectual; cultural commentator

The Phil Lind Initiative Presents:
Michael Sandel

Thursday, January 21, 2021
5:00 - 6:30 PM PST

UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs is proud to host Michael Sandel, political philosopher and Professor, Harvard University, as part of our 2021 Phil Lind Initiative series on The Anti-Democratic Turn.

Welcome remarks: Professor Santa Ono, President & Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia

Moderator: Sylvia Berryman, Professor, Department of Philosophy, UBC

Find books authored by Michael Sandel on the UBC Bookstore website.

Watch a clip from the event on our YouTube channel.

The Phil Lind Initiative Presents:
Charles M. Blow

Thursday, February 4, 2021
5:00 - 6:30 PM PST

UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs is proud to host Charles M. Blow, Op-Ed columnist at The New York Times and best-selling author, as part of our 2021 Phil Lind Initiative series on The Anti-Democratic Turn.

This event was moderated by Stephen Quinn, host of CBC Radio One’s The Early Edition.

Find books authored by Charles Blow on the UBC Bookstore website.

The Phil Lind Initiative Presents:
Anne Applebaum

Thursday, February 25, 2021
5:00 - 6:30 PM PST

UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs is proud to host Anne Applebaum, a staff writer for The Atlantic and a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, as part of our 2021 Phil Lind Initiative series on The Anti-Democratic Turn.

This event was moderated by Charmaine de Silva, News Director, NEWS 1130 & CityNews Vancouver.

Find books authored by Anne Applebaum on the UBC Bookstore website.

Watch the full recording from the event on the SPPGA YouTube channel.

The Phil Lind Initiative Presents:
Timothy Snyder

Thursday, March 4, 2021
5:00 - 6:30 PM PST

UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs is proud to host Timothy Snyder, Professor of History at Yale University and an award-winning author, as part of our 2021 Phil Lind Initiative series on The Anti-Democratic Turn.

This event was moderated by Hugh Gusterson, Professor, Department of Anthropology, UBC.

Find books authored by Timothy Snyder on the UBC Bookstore website.

Watch a clip from the event on the SPPGA YouTube channel.

The Phil Lind Initiative Presents:
Danielle Allen

Thursday, March 18, 2021
5:00 - 6:30 PM PST

UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs is proud to host Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor, Harvard University, political theorist, public intellectual, and cultural commentator, as part of our 2021 Phil Lind Initiative series on The Anti-Democratic Turn.

This event was moderated by Kathryn Gretsinger, Associate Professor of Teaching, School of Journalism, Writing, and Media, UBC.

Find books authored by Danielle Allen on the UBC Bookstore website.

Speaker Series

The Anti-Democratic Turn