Political Violence, Authoritarianism, and Social Mobilization in the Americas

Thursday, February 5, 2026, 5-8 p.m.
Friday, February 6, 2026, 10-1 p.m.

Organizing Fellows

Erin Pineda, Government
Javier Puente, Latin American & Latino/a Studies and Lewis Global Studies Center
Charles Walker, Neilson Professor Spring 2026

Project Description

This faculty seminar examines how changes in the United States appear to be taking a turn toward authoritarianism, marked by the swift consolidation of executive power; the erosion of civil rights and the rule of law; the growing normalization of political violence; and the silencing of civil society through fear and intimidation. A domestically-centered narrative of exceptionalism often frames these developments as unprecedented. However, when viewed in a global context, they appear as part of a broader trend: the capitalist–oligarchic reordering of the world and the emergence of new forms of twenty-first-century authoritarian rule.

This short-term project places the question of social mobilization—broadly understood as a vital force against authoritarianism—within a hemispheric framework. It seeks to examine the diverse narratives of resistance to power across the Americas. Bringing together scholars from multiple disciplines, the seminar aims to foster collective reflection on the deep histories of political violence and dictatorship throughout the continent, to reassess the meanings and mechanics of mobilization, and to interrogate the (un)exceptional nature of contemporary and historical challenges to democracy and popular sovereignty in the hemisphere.

A lecture by Charles Walker, Smith College’s Spring 2026 Neilson Professor and Distinguished Professor of History at UC Davis. It is titled “Human Rights and the Carceral State: Peru’s Experience of Political Violence,” and will take place on Thursday, February 6 at 5 p.m. in the Klingenstein Browsing Room. Following the lecture, fellows will gather at the Kahn Institute for dinner and discussion. The next day, Friday, February 7, they will gather again for further conversation and lunch.

Statements of interest are due Monday, December 8. Fellows will be notified no later than Friday, December 19.