The John L. Nau III History & Principles of Democracy Lab hosts the "Touchstones of Democracy" series to explore the key events, places, thinkers, and texts that inform the history and principles of democracy.
Spring 2025
Tensions in American Conservative Thought
Matthew Continetti of the American Enterprise Institute shares his insights about the pressures that have shaped conservative thought and the conflicts between a desire for mainstream acceptance and the pull of extremism and populism.
Empowering Democratic Inclusion in a Globalized World
Archon Fung (Harvard Kennedy School), editor of Empowering Affected Interests, explores with Kirsten Gelsdorf (UVA Batten School) how democracy could be reconfigured in a world defined by increasing global interdependence.
Democracy and the Imagination
Deva Woodly (Brown University) and Lawrie Balfour (UVA Politics) discuss how their recent books reimagine the meaning of freedom and the possibilities of democracy. Moderated by Kevin Gaines (UVA Woodson Institute).
Fall 2024
Democracy in a Fragile World Order
UVA professors John M. Owen II and James Davison Hunter discuss how the outcome of the 2024 U.S. election will influence the future of democracy globally.
Economic Policy: Shaping American Democracy
Government decisions in moments of financial panic have had lasting economic, social, and political effects for every American generation.
2020: Political and Social Legacies
How are the events of 2020 still shaping our debates and culture in 2024?
Spring 2024
'Democracy for Busy People'
How can we make democratic participation more inclusive?
Secrecy and Transparency in the Era of Revolutions
Was secrecy ever legitimate during the French and American Revolutions?
The Future of Democracy in India
Advocates for democracy in India explore what we can learn from moments of renewal—after decades of decay.
Fall 2023
'Ends of War'
UVA history professors Caroline Janney and Elizabeth Varon discuss Janney's book "Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee's Army After Appomattox."
'The Art of Thinking Freely'
Professor Andrew Curran (Wesleyan University), and French professor Philippe Roger (UVA) explore the influential French Enlightenment thinker Denis Diderot.
African American Thought Advancing Democracy
Melvin Rogers (Brown University) and Lawrie Balfour (UVA) examine how thinkers’ “light of faith” was darkened but not extinguished by slavery.