Harvard professor Steven Levitsky to deliver convocation at Carleton College

Steven Levitsky will deliver the convocation address at Carleton College on Friday, May 5 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Levitsky is the David Rockefeller professor of Latin American studies and professor of government at Harvard University. Levitsky also serves as director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard, which works to increase awareness of the histories, cultures, economics and environment of contemporary Latin America. His research focuses on democratization and authoritarianism, political parties, and weak and informal institutions. 

Levitsky is an award winning author and has written or edited 12 books, published guest essays and featured in media publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. In 2018, he published “How Democracies Die” with David Ziblatt, which focuses on the potential death of democracy in the United States, in particular after the election of Donald Trump. “How Democracies Die” was a New York Times Bestseller and has been translated into 25 languages. It was recognized as one of the best non-fiction books of 2018 by The Washington Post, Time and Foreign Affairs. Other books by Levitsky include “Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America: Argentine Peronism in Comparative Perspective” (Cambridge University Press, 2003), “Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War” with Lucan Way (Cambridge University Press, 2010) and “Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism” with Lucan Way (Princeton University Press, 2022).

Levitsky received his B.A. in political science from Stanford University and his Ph.D. from University of California–Berkeley. He currently lives in Massachusetts with his family.

This convocation will also be live streamed—please register in advance to receive information on how to attend via Zoom.

Carleton convocations are free and open to the public. Find upcoming events and archived recordings on the convocations website. For more information, including disability accommodations, call 507-222-5461 or email nponder@carleton.edu.