Junck Colloquium with Andrew Thompson

The UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Political Science will host a Mary Junck Research Colloquium/American Politics Research Group talk by Andrew Ifedapo Thompson, Ph.D., Friday, Sept. 25.

We will serve lunch at 11:30 a.m., with the talk to follow at noon, all in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room, located just inside the main entrance to Wilson Library. We request that attendees register below to help with food planning.

SPEAKER

Andrew Ifedapo Thompson is an assistant professor of political science in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication at Penn.

Thompson’s research explores the role of racial demographic change in shifting Americans’ attitudes toward democracy. His recent work identifies crucial areas of variation of racial threat across particular segments of the mass public and works toward offering solutions toward targeted deradicalization.

Keynote

The Big Flip and Beyond: Racial Threat and the Future of American Democracy

As the United States approaches a transformative demographic milestone—when Americans of color will become the majority and white Americans a minority—U.S. democracy faces a test of unprecedented magnitude. This moment, the “big flip,”, is far more than a matter of numbers; it is a catalyst for deep political and psychological upheaval. Once merely a projection, this demographic shift now shapes national debates, fuels fears and incites division across party lines. Drawing on work in political psychology and political communication, Dr. Thompson identifies how anxieties provoked by shifting demographics can erode trust in democratic norms and increase tolerance for political violence and authoritarian leaders.

Extending beyond the framework in his new book, “The Big Flip,” Thompson offers new findings and theorization about what can be done to assuage threatened concerns about the demographic future of the United States.

About the Junck Colloquium

For nearly two decades, the Mary Junck Research Colloquium series has enhanced scholarly community and engagement at UNC Hussman by bringing top scholars to the school to discuss their recent and ongoing research with Carolina graduate students, faculty and other scholars.

The series was established in 2007 to nurture an intellectually vibrant climate with both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary shades, by scheduling scholarly presentations on diverse topics. Each academic year, UNC Hussman invites influential scholars and researchers from across the United States to deliver a Junck talk about their latest work.