Democracy & Freedom

Understanding the metamorphosis of democracies and defending academic freedom

Democracies are being challenged in many countries by a succession of political, economic, ecological and health crises, as well as by military conflicts. In this context of contestation, the model of democracy, its values and its mutations, needs to be questioned.

We are also witnessing the decline of freedoms around the world, such as academic freedom. Academic freedom, which is the cornerstone of education and knowledge, is essential to the existence of a democratic culture since it sets the conditions for diversified research.

The Foundation supports a range of projects and networks aimed at understanding the crises and metamorphoses of democracy. For several years, it has also been strengthening its support for researchers in countries marked by various obstacles to academic freedom.

Our work

Defending academic freedom: by developing programmes and targeted actions dédicated to researchers whose fields and research are impeded.
Advancing research: by providing financial support for projects that study, from a theoretical and empirical point of view, the transformations of democracy.
Connecting scholars and disseminate knowledge: by developing partnerships and interdisciplinary networks of researchers.

Programmes and projects

Programme | Themis

The FMSH supports the intellectual community in countries marked by various obstacles to academic freedom. Themis mobility program is dedicated to researchers whose fields and research are hindered.

Programme | Crises and metamorphoses of democracy

The program explores the factors and mechanisms that are challenging democracies in a wide range of countries as well as their consequences.

Project | Perpignan social laboratory

The project analyzes the victory of the Rassemblement National in the last municipal elections in Perpignan as a meeting point on the voting market between a renewed populist offer and a populist demand shape.

Project | A sociohistory of democratic representations of populism

The project interrogates historical experiences of populism (Russian populism between 1840 and 1880, the American People's Party at the end of the 19th century, and the national-popular regimes in Latin America between the 1930s and 1960s), in order to put them in perspective with contemporary populist phenomena.

La démocratie électorale en danger ?

Le projet de la Chaire Cérium/FMSH analyse la polarisation idéologique et affective croissante qui caractérise de nombreuses démocraties contemporaines.