Students, faculty, and members of the community came out on the coldest evening of winter to listen to the lecture “The Power of Citizen Diplomacy in a Fractured World.”

Dr. Wellman explained that in recent years an increasing number of nationalist movements have been leveraging the phenomenon of migration and its attendant fear of racial, religious and ethnic difference among dominant groups to gain and maintain power.

Dr. David Wellman delivered the 2025-26 Harry Davis Lecture.

Dr. Wellman shared that the implications of this trend for the future are multifold. While state-sponsored diplomacy is central to the functioning and sustainability of relations among nation-states, state-sponsored diplomacy alone possesses no significant tools to address the fear of the so-called “other” which drives the current voting trends of many citizens –citizens who are increasingly supporting political figures, movements and parties who do not favor the survival of democracy. In the face of these developments, the work of a number of organizations and movements led by citizen diplomats are being recognized as offering a constructive diplomatic response.

These groups are inspired by the concept of Interconvictional Relations, an idea proposed by the French physicist François Becker which promotes collaboration based on common moral claims. Becker’s work and the way it is being used by European non-governmental organizations and groups beyond the EU is the foundation for the concept this talk examined: Interconvictional Diplomacy.

Students, faculty, and community members attend the 2025-26 Harry Davis Lecture in Richardson Auditorium.

Students eagerly engaged in conversation with Dr. Wellman over dinner and during the talk. Environmental justice & citizenship and philosophy major Aislynn Patrick ’26 was first introduced to the idea of civic diplomacy at the event and felt “inspired to be more involved in my community. Dr. Wellman invited us to be a positive force in our cities and neighborhoods and left me feeling like there are things I can actually do to practice diplomacy, bridge-building, and catalyze others to take action, which is precisely what David Wellman managed to do. There aren’t many things that compel me to leave my dorm in the evening when it’s below 0, but these kinds of events are worth it!”

The Harry Davis Lecture at Beloit College was established in 1990 by Ruth Davis and friends to honor government Professor Harry Davis upon his retirement. For 42 years, 1948-90, he led a distinguished career in teaching, scholarship and departmental leadership. With this generous gift, the college hosts the Harry Rex Davis Annual Lecture in Philosophy and Practice of Politics.