Alexander Görlach 

June 11, 2024 / 18:00-19:30 

Room 301, 3F, Building 10, Sophia University 

No registration required / In person only 

President Xi Jinping vows to lead the Chinese people back to lost glory, to an elevated spot in the center of the world. The same goes for Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin who believes that "Holy Russia" is back to rule. Both China and Russia aim to bring the countries in their immediate vicinity under their thumb and reestablish spheres of interest. In the wake of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine it became obvious that countries in the Global South try to forge their own response to the war. Brasil and India, for instance, claim to be the new voice of this group of countries, different by geography, history and culture, but united in their experience of colonialism. This experience becomes the new focus point in academic and journalistic discourses: can we, do we have to see contemporary events still through the lens of empire and colonialism? This question extends to the United States, the democratic antagonist of China and Russia, which is still plagued by racism and policy brutality, emblematic of a world view many have thought had passed.  

Alexander Görlach is an adjunct professor to New York City Gallatin School of Individualized Study where he teaches democratic theory. He further served as senior fellow to the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, and as fellow and visiting scholar to both, Harvard and Cambridge University. Alexander holds PhDs in comparative religion and in linguistics. After being a visiting scholar in Taiwan and Hongkong (2017-2018), Alex' work started to focus on the rise of China and what it means for democracies in East Asia. He is a frequent commentator and op-ed contributor to publications such as the New York Times and POLITICO. Alexander lives in New York and Berlin. 

 

This talk is organized by Sven Saaler (Professor, Sophia University).