Jamelle Bouie from The New York Times and Robert Mickey from the University of Michigan joined moderator and Maxwell School political scientist Chris Faricy on Oct. 3, 2025, for an event that explored authoritarian currents throughout U.S. history.

From struggles over race and representation to the erosion of democratic norms, the conversation offered perspective on the risks ahead and more.

Hosted by the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, the event was part of the Tanner Lecture Series on Ethics, Citizenship and Public Responsibility.

Bouie offers insights on national politics, policy and the state of race relations. He has written for Slate, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, TIME, The New Yorker and the Daily Beast, and he has appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation.

Mickey’s undergraduate courses concern American politics, often in cross-national perspective. He won his department’s Tronstein Prize for outstanding undergraduate teaching in 2019, was named an Honored Instructor by the office of Living Learning Programs in 2018 and was nominated for the university’s Golden Apple Award for best lecturer in 2017 and 2021.

Watch the full lecture.