Parliaments in Ethiopia and Myanmar are being linked with artists, historians, and activists to study how democracy can survive in countries where political collapse is a constant threat. Most research on fragile states focuses on either elite institutions or grassroots movements, rarely examining the relationship between them. This network fills that gap by bringing arts and humanities scholarship—anthropology, cultural studies, history—into a field long dominated by development economics and political science. The project asks concrete questions: How do citizens actually *feel* about their parliaments? How do gender, ritual, and language shape trust or exclusion? Can theatre or photography change political relationships? If successful, the network will build lasting research capacity inside two extremely fragile countries, not just parachute in foreign experts. National researchers will lead studies, influence policy-makers, and develop methods for measuring whether deeper democracy is possible. The findings could reshape how international funders approach governance in unstable states—shifting focus from institutional checklists to the messy, cultural realities of representation.
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The challenges for democracy across the globe are chronic, intensifying and urgent. The prospects for greater stability, and meeting the SDGs on inclusive institutions and global partnership, are remote unless ways are found of working towards what Appadurai calls 'deep democracy': local activism by NGOs and movements combined with global networks working in partnership with states. Our networking will link researchers interested in Parliaments and public engagement. The priority will be to support the development of national capacity to study democracy in extremely politically fragile states with a focus on Ethiopia and Myanmar. We will partner with Forum for Social Studies (Addis) and Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (Yangon) to enable research capacity development by: networking and training; allocation of small, medium and large grants to researchers; mentoring in research methods and dissemination; facilitation of learning between grantees and support in advocacy; stimulating debate; and fostering multi-disciplinary co-operation. National researchers will be given support and opportunities to undertake high quality research on the links between Parliament and the People and collaborate with arts organisations. This three year project will enable scholarly innovation through: (a) The study of politics in fragile countries has been dominated by development studies and political science. This research will create opportunities for scholarship in arts and humanities disciplines, including anthropology, political and social history, and cultural studies (especially gender and sexuality); (b) While development and politics scholars, and organisations working on governance in the Global South, tend to focus on either civil society/citizens or elite institutions, this research network will address the relationship between them; (c) Although researchers from the UK and India will manage the project, national researchers permanently based in 'extremely politically fragile' countries will do research and influence policy-makers. We have drafted research themes with partners: 1. Culture of representation: How do cultural ideas about effective representation, gender equality and public engagement emerge for elected politicians and citizens within specific cultures and histories? What are citizens' (or non-citizens) and CSOs' attitudes to Parliaments (national and regional) and politicians, what difference does gender and sexuality make, and how are attitudes changing? What conversations take place between them and how are they gendered through language, performance and ritual? How and why does trust increase or decrease between politicians and people? What is the potential for combining representative and participatory democracy, what incentives can be created and what change is realistic? 2. History of exclusion and instability: In what circumstances has representation historically contributed to gender equality, the promotion of the rights of excluded groups, as well as stronger trust, peace and stability? Do women and men imagine the future differently and how is this shaped by their histories? What role does gender (including masculinity) have in political performance, violence and interaction? How do inequalities, rituals, language, self-confidence and claims of authority include or exclude people? 3. Imagining deeper democracy through media and the arts: How can national and regional Parliaments respond to people, improve outreach and enhance the relationships between politicians and the public? How can decentralization and the power dynamics between national and regional legislatures work more effectively? How can arts disciplines or creative industries (art, photography, media, social media, theatre) evoke emotions to transform relationships and influence politics in democracies? How can we measure these changes? What is unique to particular locations and what generalisation can be found across them?
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