Varieties of Autocratization and Minority Mobilization

Processes of democratic backsliding and autocratization can take more than one form and involve various degrees of executive aggrandizement and encroachment on democratic guardrails. In many instances, ethnic minorities are the first to suffer the consequences of autocratization, particularly in cases where populist leaders exploit ethnic divisions; yet in other cases, minorities align with autocratizing forces. This panel asks: how have minorities responded to various manifestations of autocratization and what conditions mediate how they organize and mobilize in face of regime changes? Do different forms and degrees of autocratization generate different minority mobilization patterns? Do different types of minorities respond in different ways? We seek papers from diverse approaches and perspectives that look at cases from all over the world and examine the diverse ways that minorities manage regime transitions. The panel is open to all relevant methodologies, including single-case studies, large-n analyses, and comparisons of small number of cases.