Dr Diana Kudaibergenova gave a keynote speech at the Aleksanteri Institute in Helsinki

The Aleksanteri Conference was held at the Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki on 23-25 October 2024. Dr Diana Kudaibergenova gave a keynote titled “States, Regimes, and Vlast': How Citizens Make Sense of Everyday Authoritarianism?” and explored new theoretical concepts of explaining how citizens experience everyday authoritarianism and is building on my forthcoming work. This year there were 370 participants in the conference.

The conference explored political transformations from the perspectives of various political actors and institutions, with a particular emphasis on civil society groups and political resistance. It focused on both domestic developments within authoritarian regimes in the region and the approaches adopted by democratic societies in facing the challenges posed by authoritarianism, where the defense of human rights and political freedoms sometimes requires even armed resistance.

By addressing issues related to authoritarian resilience and authoritarian spillover in historical and contemporary contexts, as well as exploring themes such as legitimacy, civil resistance during times of war, oppression, and human rights violations, this conference seeked to shed light on the reshaping of political alliances and solidarities in the new era. It also examined the cultural and historical origins of dictatorial regimes, as well as sources of pluralism. Furthermore, the conference delved into how cultural, economic, and political attitudes have changed in times of profound crisis.

Read more on the conference website here.