M. Victoria MurilloProfessor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs andDirector of the Institute for Latin American Studies (ILAS)Columbia University Vicky Murillo presents a forthcoming volume co-edited with Gabriel Kessler that addresses the following question: Why are Latin Americans increasingly disillusioned with democracy, even as the region has made social progress? This book project examines the paradox of widespread political discontent amid improvements in poverty reduction, education, and expanded rights. It illustrates how rising expectations and broken promises have generated social frustration and political reactions, which manifest in two distinct forms: they can target all political elites (vertical discontent) or focus on opposing political coalitions (horizontal discontent). Each form poses unique challenges for democracy.M. Victoria Murillo is a professor of political science and international and public affairs at Columbia University, where she is is currently the Director of the Institute for Latin American Studies (ILAS). She specializes in Latin American politics, distributive politics, and institutional weakness, with numerous influential books and articles on these topics. She holds a PhD from Harvard University and previously taught at Yale University. For more information, visit the event page. Sponsored by the Kellogg Institute at the Keough School of Global Affairs.  

Laura Gamboa, assistant professor of democracy and global affairs in the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, will talk about “Democratic Backsliding” at the first Pizza, Pop and Politics event of the fall 2025 semester. Pizza, Pop and Politics is hosted by the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights and ND Votes, a nonpartisan initiative that aims to foster conscientious engagement in political and civic life among students. The student-led initiative’s activities include promoting voter education, registration, and mobilization. Originally published at klau.nd.edu.

Classics in the Browning The Immigrant (1917)Directed by Charlie ChaplinWith Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Eric CampbellNot Rated, 23 minutes Sherlock Jr. (1924)Directed by Buster KeatonWith Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe KeatonNot Rated, 45 minutes A double shot of Silent-Era classics from two titans who significantly shaped both comedy and, broadly, how films tell stories. The Immigrant utilizes Chaplin's Tramp character, who here is arriving in the United States as an immigrant, but a hiccup arises when he is accused of robbery while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Sherlock Jr. follows a projectionist (Buster Keaton) who longs to be the next Sherlock Holmes. Similarly to Chaplin's Tramp, the projectionist is incorrectly fingered as the perpetrator of a theft, and he must flex his amateur detective skills to win his freedom. GET TICKETS *Free for ND, SMC, HC, IUSB, and high school students. **Sponsored by the Meg and John P. Brogan Endowment for Classic Cinema.