Studying the organisation of politics in times of increasing autocracy.

In times of increasing autocratic tendencies worldwide, the US 2020 election is a pivotal event that can provide fresh insights about contemporary forms of political organising.

This webinar will offer important insights from an interdisciplinary panel of American scholars who will talk about the organisational processes leading up to the 2020 elections. They will offer us empirical examples and present theoretical conundrums of political organising in both formal and informal contexts, ranging from political parties to civil society organisations and social movements.

Confirmed speakers (in alphabetical order):

Jason Casellas External link, opens in new window. is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston. He specializes in American politics, with specific research and teaching interests in Latino politics, legislative politics, and state and local politics. He will here discuss the growing Latino population and their relationship to the political parties, trying to explain the conundrum of how more Latinos voted for Trump than expected

Leah Gose External link, opens in new window. is a Doctoral Candidate in Sociology and a Malcolm Hewitt Wiener PhD Scholar in Poverty and Justice at Harvard University. Her research explores social policy, organizational sociology, and network theory to understand how organizations and communities serve people in need. She will present her work on how smaller communities and grassroots political organizations have been functioning during the Trump presidency.

Boris Heersink External link, opens in new window. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Fordham University. His research focuses on American political parties and election campaigns. He will here present his work on Trump and presidential domination over the Republican party.

Lara Putnam External link, opens in new window. is the UCIS Research Professor in the Department of History at the University of Pittsburgh. She researches social movements and political participation in local, national, and transnational dimensions. She will present her work on grassroots political organizing in “rust belt” Pennsylvania and beyond.

Mara Suttmann-Lea External link, opens in new window. is an Assistant Professor of American Politics in the Department of Government and International Relations at Connecticut College. Her research focuses on election administration and law, political campaigns, and voter turnout. She will discuss her work that is looking behind the numbers, digging deeply into what the act at the core of democratic systems—the vote—means to people from all walks of life.

Moderators will be Zhanna Kravchenko and Noomi Weinryb from CPO.