Think Global: The Catalan push for independence from Spain: tragedy and/or farce?

Think Global: The Catalan push for independence from Spain: tragedy and/or farce?

The political crisis in Spain over the push for the independence of Catalonia has become as a high stakes game of ‘chicken’ –one where whoever takes a back or side step becomes the loser. On the one hand, this has increased political and social tensions dramatically, with profound and deepening...

Poet in Residence David Chapple

The Centre of Democracy was opened in May 2017 through a partnership led by the History Trust of South Australia with the State Library of South Australia. Its remit is to share the story of democracy in South Australian. We do this through a permanent exhibition in the Institute Building...

Think Global: The Jokowi Presidency in Indonesia: Critical Reflections

Who is President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)? How has he survived and managed his presidency through the political, economic, and social upheavals that have occurred in Indonesia over past 3 years? Has he himself changed with his presidency or, has Indonesia changed under his presidency? As an outsider, President Jokowi...

Think Global: The Coup & Struggle for Democratization in Zimbabwe – Challenges, Prospects and Lessons

Robert Mugabe dramatically left office in what was essentially a military coup albeit couched in popular protests. The unique political ‘transition’ that happened in Zimbabwe offers a great opportunity to re-look into the democratisation debate in Africa. This talk discusses the challenges, prospects and lessons for Zimbabwe’s democratisation in...