Institute of Politics

THIS SEMINAR IS OPEN TO CURRENT UCHICAGO STUDENTS ONLY

Wednesday, October 7
12:00 - 1:15 pm
This isn’t a normal political moment. But you are not late to history. You are early to the future. For most of the modern era, many people grew up with the assumption that the world was basically moving towards more stability, more openness, more prosperity, more democracy and more progress. That assumption no longer holds in the same way in a world reshaped by war, technology, economic insecurity, migration, climate pressure, authoritarian power, and a deep loss of trust in institutions.
Across many countries, younger generations are being forced to ask whether they will inherit decline or help build something different. Younger people are stepping into a political order already under strain. The point isn’t to romanticise crisis; it’s to recognise that history has arrived earlier than many expected.
Let’s unpack what’s changed; why so many of the old assumptions failed; why democratic politics now feels more consequential, more volatile, and more morally demanding than it did even a decade ago; and how we may well be in the beginning of a new era in which citizens, leaders, governments, and institutions rediscover what they are for. Do you intend to watch that future being made or play some part in making it?

Pritzker Fellows seminars are off the record and open to current UChicago students only. Seating in the IOP Living Room is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact the IOP Fellows Team at iopfellows@uchicago.edu.