The Rule of Law and the "Many Democracies" - Freiburger Afrikagespräch

On June 16, 2025, Prof. Dr. Andreas Mehler will enter into a dialogue with Edwin Etieyibo, PhD on democracy and the rule of law. The event is part of the series "Freiburger Afrikagespräche", which the ACT organizes together with the Colloqium Politicum of the University campus Freiburg.

What characterizes the various forms of democracy or democratic practices ("the many democracies") as truly democratic? How can a line be drawn between regimes that are actually democratic and those that call themselves democracies but are in fact autocracies or totalitarian systems?

In his attempt to answer these questions, Edwin Etieyibo (Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Witwatersrand/South Africa and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta/Canada) will revisit the concept of the Rule of Law as a crucial political and legal element of democracy. The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Andreas Mehler (Director of the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute and Professor of Development Theories and Development Policy at the University campus Freiburg).