缅北禁地

Please join us on Thursday, September 11 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. for a virtual discussion of the book How Democracies Die, by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.  (Pub. 2018, 231 pages)

This book was published in 2018 to much discussion, and interest in it has been recently renewed for obvious reasons.

From 鈥淩eview Symposium on How Democracies Die,鈥� of the American Political Science Association, Dec., 2018.:

"Levitsky and Ziblatt鈥檚 How Democracies Die showcases the potential of political science. It demonstrates the value of comparative work, bringing together scholars of Latin America (Levitsky) and Europe (Ziblatt) who use their knowledge of these regions to help us better understand what is going on in the United States.鈥� (Sheri Berman, Professor of Political Science, Barnard College, Columbia U.)

"I disagree with Levitsky and Ziblatt in some ways, but I also appreciate their attention to the norms or ethos of democracy. I trust that across these differences, we will be aligned to resist efforts to assassinate democracy. (William Connolly, Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University.)

鈥淧olitical Science Now鈥� newsletter, APSA, Nov., 2019:

"Using a comparative approach to analyze the process of democratic decline in several countries, the authors find that democracies 'die' when politicians weaken democratic safeguards against authoritarian rule. How Democracies Die is about the role that party elites play or fail to play in the process of democratic backsliding.

. . . The book was published to high critical acclaim, discussed in mainstream and scholarly outlets and made The New York Times' Best Seller list in 2018.鈥�

Financial Times: 鈥淭he great strength of How Democracies Die is that it rejects the exceptionalist account of U.S. democracy."

• for a discussion of the book.
• Questions or problems, contact book group coordinator Jo-Ann Pilardi at jpilardi AT_TOWSON.

Please join us on Wednesday, September 17 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. for a virtual discussion of the film Yi Yi (Taiwan, 2000), directed by Edward Yang.

This is a modern film about a middle-class family鈥攆ather, mother, teenage girl, eight-year-old boy鈥攚here each member is facing basic problems such as love, family bonds, work pressures, death of a loved one, and so on.  Particularly interesting is the little boy, who asks questions his elders have learned to avoid; for example, what is the difference between what you see, and I see?  One fascination of the film is how modern and westernized the city of Taipei has become.  According to critic Victoria Meng, the characters in Wang鈥檚 films 鈥渟truggle to find maturity and meaning鈥� within this hybrid, cosmopolitan setting.

Yi Yi is available for free streaming on Kanopy from TU, but not on Baltimore County Public Library.  There are five DVD copies at Baltimore County Public Library.  A streamed copy can be rented from Amazon for $3.59.

•   or
• Meeting ID: 913 2414 8560    Passcode: 59000689

• Contact Peter Lev at PLev AT_TOWSON if you have any questions.

Please join us on Thursday, October 9 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. for a virtual discussion of the book The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins:  Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, and the Minimum Wage, by Kirstin Downe.  (Pub. 2009. 480 pages)

Details to follow.

Please join us on Thursday, November 13 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. for a virtual discussion of the book The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, by William Dalrymple (Pub. 2025, 432 pages)

Details to follow.

Please join us on Thursday, December 11 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. for a virtual discussion of the book Class Clown: Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass, by Dave Barry.  (Pub. 2025, 256 pages)

Details to follow.