Prof. Rahul Mukherji

Lena Slachmuijlder

Future of Democracy: Resilience Against Ethno-Nationalism & Digital Threats

Diaspora in Action for Human Rights and Democracy

A Human Rights Day panel on how democracies can resist nationalism, disinformation and digital threats through rights, youth and resilience

Silversquare Europe

<h3>We are delighted to invite you to join us on Human Rights Day for a gathering dedicated to one of the most pressing questions of our time: How can democracies remain open, inclusive, and resilient in an age of rising nationalism and digital disruption? This event brings together scholars, practitioners, and community voices for a thoughtful, forward-looking conversation on the future of democratic life.</h3><h3> </h3>Across the world, democracies are confronting powerful pressures: identity-based nationalism, targeted disinformation, shrinking civic space, and the erosion of public trust. On 10 December, we open a space for honest, grounded, and constructive dialogue on what democracy is becoming — and what it needs in order to survive.<h2>“The Future of Democracy: Resilience in the Age of Nationalism &amp; Digital Threats”</h2>📅 10 December 2025 🕒 15:00–17:00 📍 Silversquare, Square de Meeûs 35, BrusselsThis 120-minute brings together leading academic thinkers, civil society practitioners, and members of the Global Majority to explore how democratic systems can remain inclusive and rights-based in the face of: • rising ethno-nationalist narratives • digital polarisation and manipulative algorithms • shrinking civic space • generational divides in political engagement • the erosion of trust in institutions<h2>Why Attend?</h2>✨ Hear from influential voices shaping today’s democracy debates. Confirmed speakers:<ul><li>Prof. Dr. Rahul Mukherji Head of Political Science at the South Asia Institute (Heidelberg University), renowned for his work on pluralism, democracy and state–society relations.</li><li>Lena Slachmuijlder Senior Advisor for Digital Peacebuilding at Search for Common Ground, globally recognised for her leadership in social cohesion, media, and digital rights.</li></ul>✨ Engage with a conversation that blends academic insight with lived experience and practical solutions.✨ Connect with advocates, policymakers, researchers, and community members working at the forefront of democratic resilience.✨ Contribute to DAHRD’s policy and advocacy roadmap for 2025–26.

This event aims to bring together Members of the European Parliament, leading Belgian academics, and representatives from the Global Majority to reflect on how democracies can remain inclusive and rights-based amid rising nationalism, disinformation, and digital polarisation.🎤 Speakers' bios: <ol><li>Prof. Dr. Rahul Mukherji</li></ol>Prof. Dr. Rahul Mukherji is the Head of the Department of Political Science at the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, and one of the leading comparative politics scholars working on the political economy of development, democratic backsliding, and state–society relations in South Asia.His research explores the institutional and ideological transformations shaping contemporary democracies, with a particular focus on ethno-nationalism, federalism, welfare governance, and the resilience of democratic institutions under pressure. Prof. Mukherji’s work brings a rare combination of theoretical insight and empirical depth, drawing on decades of engagement with political actors, civil society, and academic networks across India, Europe, and the broader Global South.Dr. Mukherji holds the Modern Politics of South Asia Chair at the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University. He previously served as the Managing Director of the South Asia Institute (2020–2022) and as the Spokesperson for Heidelberg’s Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (2021–2022). His academic leadership extends across multiple international journals: he sits on the boards of Governance, Global Public Policy and Governance, Pacific Affairs, India Review, and the Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences. He is also the editor of the journal Indian Politics and Policy and of the Oxford University Press book series Institutions and Development in South Asia. Prof. Mukherji is the recipient of the prestigious Bandodkar Chair in Political Economy at the University of Goa, recognising his long-standing contributions to the study of democratic governance, state–society relations, and political economy in South Asia.At this event, Prof. Mukherji will speak on building resilience in democracies in the face of rising ethno-nationalism, highlighting both structural vulnerabilities and sources of democratic strength, with particular attention to youth, civic space, and intergenerational justice.This discussion comes at a crucial moment for democratic resilience, youth participation, and the protection of fundamental rights. 2. Lena Slachmuijlder<h3>Lena Slachmuijlder works at the intersection of technology, peace, and conflict. She serves as Senior Advisor on Digital Peacebuilding at Search for Common Ground, where she supports teams across 30 country programmes to analyse how digital harms — including gendered disinformation, incitement, hate, and coordinated harassment — shape risks in fragile and polarised contexts, and to design digital peacebuilding strategies that reduce these threats before they escalate offline.</h3>Lena is also the Co-Chair of the Council on Tech and Social Cohesion, a global network that brings together technologists, peacebuilders, academics, and policymakers to advance prosocial technology design. Her work contributes to global frameworks including UNESCO’s Internet for Trust and the EU’s systemic-risk approach. She co-authored the Blueprint on Prosocial Tech Design Governance and the Prosocial Tech Design Regulation: A Practical Guide, which outlines design-level regulatory levers for strengthening social cohesion. She also curates the Council’s Substack, showcasing policy, product, and practice innovations in tech design for social cohesion.Before focusing on digital ecosystems, Lena spent over a decade working with independent media in Africa and more than twenty years leading peacebuilding initiatives across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East with Search for Common Ground. Since 2019, she has been a leading voice on Digital Peacebuilding, exploring how prosocial tech design and AI-enabled deliberative tools can support collective decision-making and reduce online and offline violence.Lena is a graduate of Stanford University and the THNK School of Creative Leadership, and is currently based in Brussels.

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Future of Democracy: Resilience Against Ethno-Nationalism & Digital Threats

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