The Master of Laws Program at the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada, successfully organized an International Seminar titled "Democratic Backsliding and the Return of Authoritarianism: Methodological Implications for Constitutional Law Studies”. The seminar was held in a hybrid format — at the Auditorium of Building B, UGM Faculty of Law, and via Zoom — on Friday, February 20, 2026. The event brought together constitutional law scholars and practitioners from a number of leading institutions worldwide to engage in a comprehensive discussion of the phenomenon of democratic backsliding, the resurgence of authoritarian tendencies, and their methodological implications for the study of constitutional law. The seminar was attended by students, lecturers, researchers, and members of the public from across Indonesia and various disciplinary backgrounds, all of whom demonstrated a high level of engagement through interactive and reflective discussion.
In their opening remarks, representatives of the UGM Faculty of Law emphasized the importance of strengthening comparative perspectives and adaptive methodological approaches in constitutional law studies — in order to respond to the increasingly complex dynamics of global constitutionalism. The resource persons underscored in their presentations that democratic backsliding occurs not only through formal constitutional change, but also through practices that erode the independence of judicial institutions, constrain civil liberties, and consolidate executive power. Constitutional law scholarship is therefore called upon to go beyond the normative-doctrinal, and to integrate interdisciplinary, empirical, and comparative approaches to grasp constitutional realities more fully.
The discussions that developed during the seminar also emphasized the importance of the role of academics, students, and civil society in upholding the values of constitutionalism, democracy, and the rule of law. The event served as a cross-national exchange of ideas that enriched the body of legal knowledge while strengthening international academic networks.
The international seminar contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — specifically SDG 4 (Quality Education) by providing an inclusive and high-quality global learning forum; SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, strengthening discourse on democracy, constitutionalism, and the rule of law; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through international academic collaboration that promotes the exchange of knowledge and experience across borders.
Through this event, the Master of Laws Program at the UGM Faculty of Law reaffirms its commitment to continuing to deliver internationally benchmarked academic forums that not only enrich the intellectual capacity of the academic community, but also contribute meaningfully to the development of legal scholarship that is responsive to global challenges and oriented toward the strengthening of a democratic rule-of-law state.
Author: Master of Laws Program, Faculty of Law UGM
