Global Stage

In this special Global Stage episode from the 2026 Global Democracy Conference, Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate Patrick McQuestion speaks with human rights activist Jhanisse Vaca Daza and Kevin Sheives of the International Forum for Democratic Studies about how democracies can push back against authoritarianism. Drawing on cases from Bolivia, Venezuela, Ukraine, Iran, and beyond, the conversati...

This episode features Fernando Bizzarro, assistant professor of political science at Boston College, and Fernando Ojesto, Kellogg Institute guest scholar, exploring the “accountability dilemma” through the case of Brazil and the legal actions against former President Jair Bolsonaro. Drawing on survey data from 5,800 citizens, the conversation looks at how holding illiberal leaders accountable can...

This conversation explores the major challenges facing democracies across Latin America and the Caribbean today. It analyzes the strategies employed by increasingly authoritarian governments, and reflects on the institutional and political shortcomings within democratic systems. At the same time, the discussion highlights potential sources of resilience and emerging areas of hope for the future of...

In this episode of Global Stage, political scientist Alisha Holland, Gates Professor of Developing Societies at Harvard University’s Department of Government, describes elements of her book project on the rise and stall of infrastructure projects in Latin America. In conversation with Kellogg Doctoral Affiliate Patrick McQuestion, Holland describes the discursive transition from traditional public...

Venezuelan journalist and political activist Paola Bautista de Alemán joins Adriana Albanus, PhD student in Political Science and Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate, for a conversation on Venezuela’s long fight for freedom and democratic renewal. Drawing on her work as director of FORMA, Bautista de Alemán reflects on how democratic values are sustained under authoritarian pressure. The episode al...

Jorge Ruiz Reyes, Research Associate at the Kellogg Institute, joins Ángel Muñoz Carpintero, JSD student and Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate, to discuss the role of open-source methods and technologies in documenting human rights violations. Ruiz Reyes, who holds a master’s in social data science from the University of Oxford, reflects on his work with Kellogg's Violence and Transitional Justic...

En este episodio de Global Stage, la artista y profesora de arte visual en Harvard, Tania Bruguera, es entrevistada por Alejandro Giraldo Gil, afiliado doctoral de Kellogg, sobre sus obras y su filosofía sobre la performatividad y la expresión pública. Bruguera reflexiona sobre su trayectoria dentro y fuera de Cuba, el valor de la crítica en espacios comunitarios y su visión actual sobre la migrac...

In this episode, Gladys McCormick joins Kellogg Institute PhD Fellows Victoria Basulto (history) and Leon Heitler (political science) for a conversation about writing the history of Mexico’s “Dirty War.” McCormick discusses her new book, 'The Last Door: A History of Torture in Mexico’s War against Subversives,' and reflects on the challenges of documenting state violence through fragmented archive...

En este episodio de Global Stage, el autor y politólogo Luis Schiumerini es entrevistado por el afiliado doctoral del Instituto Kellogg, Tomas Gianibelli, sobre su nuevo libro 'Incumbency Bias: Why Political Office is a Blessing and a Curse in Latin America', que estudia el fenómeno de la reelección de los partidos oficialistas en la región. La conversación explora cómo las expectativas de la pobl...

In this episode, Vicky Murillo, professor of political science and international and public affairs at Columbia University, joins Kellogg Doctoral Affiliate Géssica de Freitas, PhD student in political science at the University of Notre Dame, for a conversation about her forthcoming co-edited volume with Gabriel Kessler. The book examines a pressing question in contemporary Latin America: why are...

In this episode, S. Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, joins Kellogg Doctoral Affiliate Alejandro Gonzalez, PhD student in Political Science, for a conversation on the vital role of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) in guaranteeing free and fair elections. He reflects on the logistical, cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity challenges of administering elections in the w...

In this special episode of Global Stage, democracy promotion expert Thomas Carothers joins Kellogg Doctoral Affiliate Patrick McQuestion for a conversation from the Kellogg Institute’s Global Democracy Conference, held in Washington, DC, on May 12 and 13, 2025. Drawing from decades of experience, Carothers provides insight into the origins of development aid in the United States since the 1980s an...

En este episodio de Global Stage, Lexi Gonzalez Madrid, Kellogg PhD Fellow, entrevista a Jessica Noffsinger, Vania Smith-Oka, y Vanesa Miseres sobre su proyecto “Cafecitos: Historias de maternidad y migración a través del arte, la literatura y la construcción comunitaria,” financiado por Humanities Without Walls. Este proyecto colectivo a largo plazo, que se lleva a cabo en South Bend en alianza c...

In this episode of Global Stage, Kellogg Institute PhD Fellow Lexi Gonzalez Madrid interviews Jessica Noffsinger, Vania Smith-Oka, and Vanesa Miseres about their project, “Cafecitos: Motherhood and Migration Stories through Art, Literature and Community-Building” funded by Humanities Without Walls. This long-term collective endeavor taking place in South Bend, in alliance with local organization L...

En este episodio, Tamara Dávila, activista nicaragüense, y Verónica Reina, defensora salvadoreña, analizan junto a Mayra Ortiz Ocaña el estado de la democracia y los derechos humanos en Centroamérica. Conversan sobre la libertad de expresión y asociación, la violencia y condiciones carcelarias bajo regímenes autoritarios, y comparten sus experiencias como mujeres en la defensa de derechos humanos....

La autora venezolana y profesora en la Universidad de Cornell Irina Troconis analiza su libro "El Estado Nigromántico: Despojos Espectrales en el Estela de la Revolución Bolivariana de Venezuela" (Duke University Press, 2025) con Alejandro Giraldo Gil, estudiante de doctorado en Notre Dame. Troconis describe su uso del concepto de nigromancia para dilucidar el legado y la influencia continua del r...

Venezuelan author Irina Troconis discusses her book The Necromantic State: Spectral Remains in the Afterglow of Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution (Duke University Press 2025) with Notre Dame doctoral student Alejandro Giraldo Gil. Troconis describes her use of the concept of necromancy to elucidate the legacy and ongoing influence of the Chavez regime in Venezuela. According to the author, the “ne...

In this episode of Global Stage, Alma Tinoco Ruiz from Duke University and Laurel Marshall Potter from the University of St. Thomas talk about their own research as theologians. In conversation with Kellogg doctoral affiliate Matt Cortese, they discuss the reception of St. Óscar Romero in communities today, both in the US and in El Salvador. This podcast is the third in a special series based on t...

En este episodio del podcast Global Stage, el Dr. Rodolfo Cardenal, sacerdote jesuita nicaragüense que ha vivido gran parte de su vida adulta en El Salvador, habla sobre la importancia de la vida de San Óscar Romero. Cardenal actualmente es director del Centro Monseñor Óscar Romero de la Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas. Romero fue asesinado el 24 de marzo de 1980 por hablar en contra...

In this episode of Global Stage, David Lantigua and Todd Walatka, professors in the Theology Department at the University of Notre Dame and co-directors of the Óscar Romero Working Group at the Kellogg Institute, talk about Notre Dame's role in the continued studies of St. Óscar Romero. In conversation with theology masters student Robert Hernandez, Walatka and Lantigua discuss the history of the...

In this episode of Global Stage, Kellogg Faculty Fellow Ricky Clark discusses his new book "Cooperative Complexity: The Next Level of Global Economic Governance," which explores how international financial institutions have developed new forms of collaboration to address global challenges. In conversation with Kellogg doctoral affiliate William Kakenmaster, Clark examines how institutional overlap...

In this episode of Global Stage, historians Gabriela Cano and Saúl Espino Armendáriz discuss with Victoria Basulto, a PhD student in History and Kellogg doctoral affiliate, their recent publication, the "Biographical Dictionary of Women from the Colegio of Mexico" ("Diccionario Biográfico de las Mujeres de El Colegio de México: Las generaciones constructoras") published by COLMEX in 2024. The auth...

In this episode of Global Stage, political scientist Rachel Schwartz discusses state-building, corruption, and accountability in post-war societies, focusing on Central America. In conversation with Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate and political scientist Isabel Güiza-Gómez, Schwartz presents the main argument and findings from her book entitled "Undermining the State from Within: The Institutio...

En este episodio de Global Stage, la politóloga Rachel Schwartz discute sobre la construcción estatal, corrupción, y rendición de cuentas en sociedades de posguerra con énfasis en Centroamérica. En conversación con la afiliada doctoral del Instituto Kellogg Isabel Güiza-Gómez, Schwartz presenta el argumento central y hallazgos de su libro titulado "Socavar El Estado Desde Adentro: Los Legados Inst...

In this episode of Global Stage, anthropologist Nusrat Chowdhury discusses her critical analysis of Bangladeshi “chhatra-janata” or student-people in popular protests, slogans, and graffiti that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024. In conversation with Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate and sociologist Eisar Haider, she reflects on “crowd politics” of social movements beyond...