Sortition — the use of randomly selected citizen assemblies to advise legislators or make legislation — is not simply an abstract idea. Around the world, citizen assemblies of randomly selected participants are meeting to discuss and decide upon important political controversies. Our 2021 conference will bring leading experts on democracy and on the use of citizen assemblies to Bard to ask how elements of lottery and citizen governance can help reenergize our democracy. Questions to be asked at our conference include:
Above all, we ask, how can we revitalize democracy in the 21st century?
We present here three videos by Hannah Arendt Center Director Roger Berkowitz to introduce the idea and history of Sortition. We plan to add more soon!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14
10:00 AM
Introduction
Leon Botstein
10:15 AM
Revitalizing Democracy, Sortition, and Citizen Power
Roger Berkowitz
10:30 AM
Is it too late to revitalize democracy? Democratic innovation at the eve of climate collapse
David Van Reybrouck
Moderator: Roger Berkowitz
12:00 PM
Citizen Assemblies in Ireland and Serbia
Jane Suiter, Gazela Pudar Draško, Irena Fiket, and Thamy Pogrebinschi
Moderator: Mark Williams Jr. ’18
1:00 PM
Lunch
1:15PM - 2:00 PM
Breakout Session: (optional) Olin Room 201
Advocacy for Citizen Assemblies
David Van Reybrouck, Hans Kern ’14, and Jonas Kunz ’18
2:00 PM
Jackson Rising
Kali Akuno
Moderator: Mie Inouye
3:00 PM
Future Publics and Council Governance
Michael MacKenzie and Shmuel Lederman
Moderator: Yasemin Sari
4:00 PM
Break
4:30 PM
Citizen Assemblies: Democracy’s Second Act
Peter MacLeod
Moderator: Eva Rovers
5:15 PM
Democracy Reinvented: Participatory Budgeting and Civic Innovation in America
Hollie Russon Gilman and James Barry Jr.
Moderator: Thomas Bartscherer
6:00 PM
Wine and cheese reception, Blithewood Mansion (outside)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15
9:45 AM
Introduction
Roger Berkowitz
10:00 AM
Open Democracy: The French Climate Citizen Assembly
Heléne Landemore
Moderator: Uday Singh Mehta
11:30 AM
The Parallel Polis
Masha Gessen
Moderator: Peter Rosenblum
1:00 PM
Lunch
1:15 PM - 2:00 PM
Breakout Session (optional), Olin 202
Citizen Activism
Kali Akuno and Jason Toney ’17
2:15 PM
Learning Our Native Tongue: America as a Project
Tracy B. Strong
Moderator: Allison Stanger
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Local Sortition Experiments
Mayor Kamal Johnson, Supervisor Robert McKeon, and Supervisor Darrah Cloud
Moderator: David Van Reybrouck
Joined by Bard students enrolled in Van Reybrouck’s course Beyond Elections: Revitalizing Democracy through Citizens’ Assemblies
Safety
COVID protocols have made it necessary for us to limit capacity at the conference to ensure the safety of audiences, speakers, students, and staff. Registration will be first come first serve. By registering, you're pledging to attend the conference. Please do not register if you're not fully 100% committed to attending.
Required
Covid-19 Vaccination is REQUIRED to attend the conference for all registrants, with no exceptions. Fully vaccinated means all registrants are two weeks beyond the date of their final COVID-19 vaccination shot. All registrants will be asked to provide their vaccination dates within the registration form. Additionally, please be prepared to show proof of vaccination, either your vaccination card or Excelsior Pass at the Registration Desk upon arrival.
Online
The entire conference will be available via Live Webcast to accommodate individuals that cannot attend in person. Please click here to register for the live webcast.
“Representative government is in crisis today, partly because it has lost, in the course of time, all institutions that permitted the citizens’ actual participation, and partly because it is now gravely affected by the disease from which the party system suffers: bureaucratization and the two parties’ tendency to represent nobody except the party machines.”
— Hannah Arendt, 1970
You can attend in person or via our webcast. Registration for in person attendance is open through 9/26. Please click on links below to register:
