Pascal Lupien

Associate Professor

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BA (Honours), McGill University
MIS, Université de Montréal
MA, University of Guelph
PhD, University of Guelph

Office: Plaza 352
905-688-5550 x3478
[email protected]

Pascal Lupien is Associate Professor of Political Science at Brock University. He is also a Fellow at the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC, York University), and co-coordinator of the Groupe de recherche Afriques-Amérique latine (GRAAL, University of Alberta). He holds a PhD in Political Science and an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Guelph, a Master’s in Information Studies (MIS) from the Université de Montréal, and a BA in Politics from McGill University.

Dr. Lupien’s research interests revolve around participatory democracy, social movements, the factors that enhance or diminish the capacity of marginalized communities to participate in politics. He currently leads a SSHRC IG-funded project that examines how migrants and migrant-led organizations engage in political life, with a particular focus on the institutional mechanisms and participatory processes that facilitate or hinder political inclusion. He is also working on a project that analyzes the discourse of far-right populist leaders in Latin America. His previous research looked at the impact of digital technologies on Indigenous civil society in the Andean countries.

Lupien’s latest book, Indigenous Civil Society in Latin America: Collective Action in the Digital Age (University of North Carolina Press, 2023), draws on four years of immersive, community-engaged fieldwork in Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile. It shows how Indigenous organizations today are newly pursuing, adapting, and sustaining local activism in a globalized, technology-centered world. His research has also been published in journals such as Democratization; Citizenship Studies; Political Science Quarterly; Information, Communication and Society; Social Media + Society; Gender, Place and Culture; and Latin American Research Review.

Dr. Lupien’s teaching interests include the politics of Latin America, democracy and democratization, civil society and social movements, and comparative politics (particularly with respect to the Global South). He welcomes the opportunity to supervise graduate students in his areas of expertise.

Areas of specialization

  • Comparative politics
  • Latin American politics
  • Indigenous politics (Andean region)
  • Participatory democracy
  • Social movements
  • Political communication and social media
  • Immigrants and political participation

Publications

Books – Monographs:

Books – Edited volumes:

  • Mballa, C., A. Lukhanda, and P. Lupien. 2027. Afrique, Amérique latine et Canada : Bâtir des sociétés inclusives, innovantes et résilientes. Presses de l’Université Laval. Forthcoming (March 2027).

Articles in Peer-Refereed journals:

  • Lupien, P., S. Machaca and A. Rincón. 2026. Co-Producing Knowledge Across Borders: A Decolonial Case Study with Indigenous Women in the Andes. Sage Research Methods.
  • Lupien, P. and J. Cardoso. 2026. Global Trends, Local Adaptations: Comparing Far Right Frames in Latin America and Europe. Political Science Quarterly.
  • Lupien, P. 2026. Immigrant Experiences with Participatory Budgeting: A Comparative Study of Three North American Cities. New Political Science, 48(1): 71-94.
  • Lupien, P., A. Rincón, A. Lalama, S. Machaca, G. Chiriboga. 2024. #Resistencia: Indigenous Movements, Digital Technologies, and Mobilization. Latin American Research Review, 59: 803–822.
  • Lupien, P., A. Rincón, A. Lalama, and G. Chiriboga. 2024. Framing Indigenous Protest in the Online Public Sphere: A Comparative Frame Analysis. New Media and Society, 26(3): 1566–1584.
  • Lupien, P. 2022. Participatory Democracy, Democratic Education, and Women. Journal of Latin American Studies, 54(4): 617-645.
  • Lupien, P. and L. Rourke. 2021. (Mis)information, Democracy and Information Literacy: Paths for Teaching and Research to Foster Informed Citizenship. Journal of Information Literacy. 15(3).
  • Lupien, P., G. Chiriboga and S. Machaca. 2021. Indigenous Movements, ICTs and the State in Latin America. Journal of Information Technology & Politics. 18 (4): 387-400.
  • Lupien, P., A. Rincón, F. Carrera, and G. Lagos. 2021. Early COVID-19 policy responses in Latin America: A comparative analysis of social protection and health policy. Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. 46(2): 297-317.
  • Lupien, P. 2021. Indigenous Politics and Resistance in Latin America: Continuity and Change. In Vanden, H and G. Prevost, Oxford Encyclopedia of Latin American Politics. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Lupien, P. 2020. Women and Participatory Mechanisms in Latin America: Deepening Democracy or More of the Same? Gender, Place and Culture. 28(9): 1258-1285.
  • Lupien, P. 2020. Indigenous Movements, Collective Action, and Social Media: New Opportunities or New Barriers? Social Media + Society. 6(2).
  • Lupien, P. 2020. Les médias socionumériques et la participation des minorités francophones canadiennes à la vie politique. Terminal: Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication. 127.
  • Lupien, P., M. Posso, A. Basantes & G. Chiriboga. 2020. Incidencia de las TIC en la comercialización de los productos de las comunidades rurales indígenas en el Ecuador, Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. 45(1): 64-82.
  • Lupien, P. and G. Chiriboga. 2019. Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) by Indigenous Civil Society Organizations, Information, Communication and Society, 22(8): 1029-1043.
  • Mballa, C. et P. Lupien. 2019. Le Canada et les Afriques: quelle relation pour quels enjeux? VigieAfriques, 2(2).
  • Lupien, P. 2018. Participatory Democracy and Ethnic Minorities: Opening Inclusive New Spaces or Reproducing Inequalities? Democratization. 25(7): 1251-1269.
  • Lupien, P. 2015. Mechanisms for Popular Participation and Discursive Constructions of Citizenship, Citizenship Studies, 19(3-4): 367-383.
  • Lupien, P. 2015. Ignorant Mobs or Rational Actors? Understanding Support for Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution, Political Science Quarterly, 130(2): 319-340.
  • Lupien, P. 2015. ¿Escuelas de democracia o agentes de socialización? Discursos transmitidos a través de los mecanismos participativos en Venezuela, Ecuador y Chile (Schools of democracy or agents of socialization? Espacio Abierto, 24(1): 45-66.
  • Lupien, P. 2013. The Media and Attacking the “Bad Left” From Below in Venezuela and Bolivia. Latin American Perspectives, 40(3): 226-246.
  • Lupien, P. 2011. The Incorporation of Indigenous Concepts of Plurinationality into the New Constitutions of Ecuador and Bolivia. Democratization, 18 (3): 774-796.

Book Chapters:

  • Mballa, C. and P. Lupien. 2020. El estado y la sociedad en África francófono: entre rupturas históricas y continuidades culturales. In Buffa, D. and M. Becerra (Eds.) África Diversa: Cuestionando los Estereotipos. Córdoba: Universidad de Córdoba.
  • Lupien, P. 2018. La comunicación como herramienta de poder: casos de Venezuela y Bolivia. In Ellner, Steve, La izquierda radical latinoamericana: Complejidades del poder político en el siglo 21. Caracas: Fundación Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos Rómulo Gallegos.
  • Lupien, P. 2017. Technology, Indigenous Media and the New Power Dynamic in Bolivia. In Atrz, Burton Lee (Ed.) The Pink Tide: Media Access and Political Power in Latin America. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Lupien, P. 2016. “Radical” Participatory Democracy Institutions: Strengthening Civil Society or Mechanisms for Controlled Inclusion?” In Yovanovich, G. and R. Rice, Re-Imagining Community and Civil Society. London: Routledge Press.

Teaching

Courses taught at Brock University:

  • POLI 2P32: Comparative Politics II: Society and Policy Issues
  • POLI 3P46: Politics of Latin America
  • POLI 3P43: Politics of the Developing World
  • POLI 4P36-5P36: Comparative Democratization in a Global Age
  • POLI 5P85: Graduate Seminar in Comparative Politics

Student supervision

Professor Lupien is interested in supervising graduate students working in the areas of:

  • Latin American politics
  • Indigenous politics
  • Participatory development, alternative forms of development
  • Democracy, democratization and democratic reversal
  • Social movements and civil society
  • Social media and politics
  • Immigrant political participation
  • Populism

Awards

  • Early Career Researcher Award 2022, Faculty of Social Sciences, Brock University