Dissent and American Democracy w/ AK Press Author Jules Boykoff

Dissent and American Democracy

Friday, April 24th
1:00-3:00pm
Cowles Auditorium, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN

Following the speakers, an open forum will be moderated by Joe Soss,
Cowles Professor for the Study of Public Service

“The Intersections of Dissent”: What is the value of dissent within a
democracy, and how is it best promoted and protected?  Does the term
“dissent” capture the values, rights, and groups that we think need to
be protected?  Framed as an abstract principle, can the goals of
protecting “dissent” be appropriated, deployed, and diluted in ways
that lead to the exclusion or suppression of the voices of some
marginalized groups?  Dara Strolovitch will discuss these multiple
valences of dissent, focusing in particular on their relationships
with the intersecting politics of race, class, gender, and sexuality.

"The Suppression of Dissent": Over the past century, actors in
government and mass media have repeatedly taken steps to silence
political dissent in the United States. Focusing on surveillance as a
critical step in the process of suppression, Jules Boykoff will
explore the historical and contemporary development of efforts to
limit dissent. How do such efforts affect the practice of democracy in
the United States? How can activists sidestep these efforts and raise
the chances that dissenting voices will be heard?

Dara Z. Strolovitch (Ph.D. Yale University, 2002) is Associate
Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota.  She is
the author of Affirmative Advocacy:  Race, Class, and Gender in
Interest Group Politics (University of Chicago Press 2007).

Jules Boykoff (Ph.D. American University, 2004) is Assistant Professor
in the Department of Politics and Government at Pacific University in
Oregon.  He is the author of Beyond Bullets:  The Suppression of
Dissent in the United States (AK Press, 2007).

http://www.pacificu.edu/as/politics/faculty/jules-boykoff.cfm