The Language of Autocracy: Ancient and Modern

2021 was the 16th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. While recent treatments of our autocratic moment tend to approach the issue from a purely modern perspective, the conference "The Language of Autocracy: Ancient and Modern" (AAU, 9-10 June 2023) will bring an historical perspective to the debate by exploring the legitimation strategies of contemporary self-proclaimed strongmen side by side with those employed to justify the absolute power of the Roman emperors. With autocracies firmly back on our doorstep, shedding new light on their legitimation strategies has never been more important. The papers will be published in an edited volume. The public will be informed via a feature story in a Danish newspaper and the @AAUforskeren twitter account.