International Workshop Counterrevolution and Democratic Transformation

Call for Abstracts

International Workshop | 22 October 2026, Chair of Philosophy, University of St. Gallen

Counterrevolution and

Democratic Transformation

With Prof. Bernard Harcourt (Columbia University / EHESS)

Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed increasing normalization of emergency measures, restrictive border measures, and the creation of legal and administrative apparatuses to identify, coerce, and eliminate internal threats. As these processes have often been driven by democratic states, there has been intensified debates across political philosophy, legal theory, and critical social theory concerning how and when democratic institutions themselves can act as vehicles of authoritarian transformation. However, disagreement remains over the mechanisms driving these processes and the conceptual vocabularies for understanding them.

The workshop addresses these debates through Bernard Harcourt’s concept of counterrevolution. His recent analyses of counterrevolution, counterinsurgency, and emergency governance provide one of the most influential contemporary frameworks for understanding how coercive state rationalities migrate from exceptional contexts into ordinary democratic governance.

At the centre of the workshop is an inquiry into how contemporary democratic states transform governance through legal, political, and security mechanisms in ways that consolidate coercive power while preserving the appearance of constitutional normality. It further asks how counterrevolutionary rationalities reshape democratic institutions through law, administration, and security practices, and to what extent these transformations illuminate contemporary processes of authoritarian consolidation or fascitization.

The workshop invites contributions that engage with one or more of the following questions:

-      How do emergency powers and constitutional provisions become instruments of permanent governance transformation rather than temporary exception?

-      By what legal and administrative mechanisms are internal enemies constructed, classified, and subjected to coercive state intervention?

-      How do counterinsurgency rationalities migrate into the governance of domestic populations?

-      To what extent is fascitization a useful analytical category for understanding contemporary authoritarian consolidation within democratic institutions, and where does the concept reach its limits?

Format

The workshop takes place on 22 October 2026 at the University of St. Gallen as a one-day, in-person event, including a keynote presentation by Bernard Harcourt. The selected speakers will present their paper (20-30min presentation), followed by discussion (30 min).

Early-career researchers (including advanced PhD and postdoctoral researchers) in political philosophy, critical theory, critical legal studies, and related fields, are encouraged to apply.

Selected papers will be considered for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Details will be communicated to participants in due course.

Submission Guidelines

-      Submission deadline: 31 July 2026

-      Date of notification: 15 August 2026

-      Workshop language: English

-      The submission should include an abstract (300-500 words) for a 20–30min presentation, a short bio (100-200 words), and an indication of institutional affiliation (if applicable).

We are actively seeking funding to support participant travel and accommodation (the support cannot yet be confirmed). Please indicate in your submission whether you require financial support — this will not affect the evaluation of your application.

Submissions should be sent to: Damian Nussbaumer ([email protected]) and Leire Urricelqui ([email protected]).