Security, Truth, and the Crisis of Democracy – Workshop 2021

Dates: Fri, Sep 10, 2021 – Sat, Sep 11, 2021

Location: Virtual Workshop based at the University of Manchester, UK

Sponsors: This workshop has been made possible with funding from the British Academy, and sponsorship from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and the Electoral Integrity Project.

Co-Chairs: Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College of Canada/Queen’s University), Natalie Jester (University of Gloucestershire), Jeffrey Whyte (University of Manchester)

Preliminary Programme

Day 1 – September 10, 2021

8am (EDT) / 13:00 (BST):

Opening & Welcoming Remarks

8:15 AM (EDT) / 13:15 (BST):

Panel 1 – Fake News and the ‘Post-Truth Era’

Chair: Lisa Reppell (International Foundation for Electoral Systems)

Discussant: Christian Leuprecht (Royal Military College of Canada / Queen’s University)

• When a political phenomenon produces its own conspiratorial regimes of truth: a transdisciplinary look at the threats posed by the Alt-Right — Beatriz Buarque (University of Manchester)

• When nativism and authoritarianism is produced as legitimate truth: Mapping the Far-Right Truth Industry — Alexander Thomin (Tilburg University), Polina Zavershinskaia (Leipzig University)

• Insights from South Asia – ‘Post-truth’ Electoral Discourse and Public Opinion in Pakistan – Anam Kuraishi (University of Essex)

• Does Election Interference Rhetoric Influence Voters’ Attitudes and Behaviours? Empirical Evidence from an Experimental Survey Study — Jean-Nicolas Bordeleau (Université de Montréal) & Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College of Canada)

• Production of Fake News under Deliberative Democracy — Edward White (University of Manchester)

10 am (EDT) / 14:00 (BST): Break

10:30am (EDT) / 15:30 (BST):

Panel 2: Security and the Politics of Technology

Chair: Petra Desatova (University of Copenhagen)

Discussant: Natalie Jester (University of Gloucestershire)

• Deploying artificial intelligence to combat COVID-19 disinformation on social media — Richard Frank (Simon Fraser University), Barry Cartwright (Simon Fraser University), George Weir (University of Strathclyde)

• Private Messaging, Public Harms — Sam Andrey, Alexander Rand, M.J. Masoodi and Stephanie Tran (Ryerson University)

• Democracy@Risk — Rachel Gibson (University of Manchester)

12:00 PM (EDT) / 17:00 (BST): Close

Day 2 – September 11, 2021

8:00am (EDT) / 13:00 (BST):

Keynote Session — Platform Capitalism, Authoritarianism and Surveillance, David Murakami Wood (Queen’s University)

9:00am (EDT) / 14:00 (BST): Break

9:15am (EDT) / 14:15 (BST):

Panel 3 – Freedom, Security, Democracy

Chair: Gabrielle Lim (University of Toronto)

Discussant: Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College of Canada / Queen’s University)

• The History of Canada's Ineffective Honesty in Politics Requirements, and Why and How to Make Them Effective — Duff Conacher (University of Ottawa)

• The Other Side of Flattening the Curve: An Examination of Epidemiological Illiberalism in the early COVID-19 Governance in South Korea — So Hyung Lim (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)

• Tweets, Electoral Fraud, and Political Violence: Evidence from Two Experiments — Jeffrey Karp (Brunel University London)

• Locating Dis- and Misinformation in Free Speech Law and Policy – Emily Laidlaw (University of Calgary)

10:30am (EDT) / 15:30 (BST):

Panel 4 – Critical Perspectives

Chair: David Edward Tabachnick (Nipissing University)

Discussant: Jeffrey Whyte (University of Manchester)

• Information Disorder, Fake News and the Future of Democracy — Linda Monsees (IIR Prague)

• Knowing ‘Hybrid Warfare’ and the Politics of Authoritative Security Expertise — Jan Daniel & Jakub Eberle (IIR Prague)

• Producing Visibility: Transparency, Secrecy, and Uncertainty in International Relations — Tim Aistrophe (University of Kent) & Daniel R. McCarthy (University of Melbourne)

12:00pm (EDT) / 17:00 (BST): Close

About the Workshop

Since 2016, questions concerning disinformation, fake news, and the so-called ‘post-truth’ era have dominated discussions concerning the security of elections, the integrity of western democracies, and the shape of international relations. Key issues concern the rise of conspiracy theories, the polarization of political discourse, and the loss of trust in social and political institutions. In response, numerous initiatives have launched to tackle the problems of mis- and disinformation, and to rebuild public trust. Proponents argue that such interventions are necessary to mitigate social harms like militant radicalisation and medical misinformation, while critics raise concerns over questions of free speech, transparency, and accountability. This workshop seeks interdisciplinary contributions from both critical and practical perspectives on issues relating to security, truth, and democracy. We invite both empirical and theoretical contributions from disciplines across the social sciences and humanities. Our aim is to bring together diverse perspectives on the issues facing contemporary democracies as they continue to unfold.

Submissions are closed at this time.

Intended Output

The workshop aims to foster ongoing interdisciplinary collaborations. Selected contributors will be invited to contribute papers to a journal special issue in the area of Security and International Relations.

Support for Early Career Researchers and Accessibility

Workshop sponsors have made funding available to support PhD students and early career researchers to attend the workshop in-person. Please indicate with your abstract submission if you wish to be considered for this. By making the workshop virtually accessible, we hope to draw participants and audiences from around the world, as well as making it more accessible to those who may not be able to travel, including but not limited to: disabled people, people with caring responsibilities, and colleagues without research funding.