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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270129T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270129T180000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121516Z
CREATED:20260724T121516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121516Z
UID:4283-1801238400-1801245600@brias.be
SUMMARY:Social event: KVS play Rexit
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/social-event-kvs-play-rexit/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270128T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270128T140000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121516Z
CREATED:20260724T121516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121516Z
UID:4282-1801137600-1801144800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: Book launch: Direct Democracy Institutions in a Globalized World. The New Democratic Frontier
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-book-launch-direct-democracy-institutions-in-a-globalized-world-the-new-democratic-frontier/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270125T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270125T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121516Z
CREATED:20260724T121516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121516Z
UID:4281-1800869400-1800880200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Junior Scholar Event: writing session
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/junior-scholar-event-writing-session/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270121T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270121T180000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121515Z
CREATED:20260724T121515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121515Z
UID:4280-1800522000-1800554400@brias.be
SUMMARY:State of the Federation + Opening Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/state-of-the-federation-opening-ceremony/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270114T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270114T140000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121515Z
CREATED:20260724T121515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121515Z
UID:4279-1799928000-1799935200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: Book launch: Cambridge Elements on Gender and Politics
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-book-launch-cambridge-elements-on-gender-and-politics/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270107T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270107T140000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121515Z
CREATED:20260724T121515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121515Z
UID:4278-1799323200-1799330400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: Sara Pina
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-sara-pina/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260909T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260911T180000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121515Z
CREATED:20260724T121515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121515Z
UID:4277-1788944400-1789149600@brias.be
SUMMARY:Social dimension of ecologic transition
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/social-dimension-of-ecologic-transition/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260907T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260908T180000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121515Z
CREATED:20260724T121515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121515Z
UID:4276-1788771600-1788890400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Countering Disinformation\, Raising democratic resilience
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/countering-disinformation-raising-democratic-resilience/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260622T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260622T180000
DTSTAMP:20260608T115648Z
CREATED:20260518T094309Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260608T115648Z
UID:3810-1782144000-1782151200@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminars – Naomi Oreskes
DESCRIPTION:Register here\nOrganising resistance in Science or: how present politics work to prefigure the collapse of western civilization\nAbstract\nOreskes – historian of (climate and environmental) science – speculated in a 2014 essay (with Erik Conway) (“The collapse of western civilization. A view from Future” Columbia University Press) how scientists in the far future (in 2393) could look at our collective failure to act against climate and ecological crises\, and how our elites provoked the Great Collapse. During the seminar\, Oreskes will look at the current dynamics in the US around climate science\, helping us to gain insights how a science-based priority policy objective became a source of strong political interference\, how science funding and wording were deliberately collapsed\, how scientific missions\, data series and careers were interrupted. She will allow us to get a climpse at the way Science is resisting\, or preparing for the aftermaths. Her contribution is to be seen in line with the public lectures given the last 3 months at the ULB by Salomé Saqué (“Extrême-Droite\, écocide et résistances!”) and Prof. Mark Bray (“Fascism and Anti-fashism in Trump’s US”).\nBio\nHenry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science\nAffiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences\nHarvard University (https://histsci.fas.harvard.edu/people/naomi-oreskes)\nDoctor Honoris Causa ULB (2023) (https://sciences.ulb.be/portraits/scientific-woman-of-the-week-naomi-oreskes)\nVolvo Environment Prize (2025)
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminars-naomi-oreskes/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260618T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260618T140000
DTSTAMP:20260602T185728Z
CREATED:20260408T125724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260602T185728Z
UID:3699-1781784000-1781791200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Book Talk “Under Authoritarian Eyes: Feminist Solidarity and Resistance in Russia and Serbia” 
DESCRIPTION:Book Talk “Under Authoritarian Eyes: Feminist Solidarity and Resistance in Russia and Serbia” \nAbstract\nLeandra will present and discuss her recent book “Under Authoritarian Eyes”. Theories of transnational feminism often frame feminist knowledge as a project of Western hegemony to move ideas unilaterally from the “emancipated” West to other parts of the world. How does this framework resonate with feminists in times of authoritarianism? \nIn Under Authoritarian Eyes\, Leandra revisits long-held assumptions of West-East power to understand how power relations influence feminists’ lived reality in authoritarian times. She argues that the focus on transnational power relations within critical feminist scholarship has overshadowed another emerging aspect of power: the rise of authoritarianism in post-communist Europe\, the gender backlash on which it thrives\, and\, consequently\, the risk of co-optability that accompanies it. With a focus on Russia and Serbia\, Leandra finds that in authoritarian contexts\, feminists often reject the view of transnational feminism as merely an extension of Western dominance. In fact\, they argue that this view mirrors the rhetoric of their regimes\, which claim feminism and “gender ideology” are Western strategies to destroy “traditional values” and undermine national sovereignty. In highlighting these dynamics\, Leandra centers domestic over transnational power dynamics to illustrate how arguments that were formulated with an emancipatory aim can contribute to the subjugation of feminists across different political contexts. \nDrawing on over seventy interviews with four generations of feminist activists and scholars in Russia and Serbia\, Leandra offers a nuanced perspective on feminist agency\, revealing how feminists innovate resistance and subversive approaches without reinforcing authoritarian narratives. By emphasizing the importance of solidarity\, shared experience\, and mutual support across borders and regimes\, Under Authoritarian Eyes fundamentally reshapes the discourse on transnational feminism with important implications for democracy and human rights more broadly.  \nBio\nLeandra Bias is a Swiss National Science Foundation Ambizione Fellow at the University of Fribourg. Her research studies how gender\, (de-)democratization\, and political violence interact with each other. Regionally\, Leandra specialises in former communist Europe. She is the recipient of the European Consortium for Political Research 2023 Joni Lovenduski PhD Prize\, and her active engagement in science communication was recognised with the 2022 Young Scholar Award by the Walter Benjamin Kolleg. 
URL:https://brias.be/event/research-seminar-with-leandra-bias/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260610T114500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260610T140000
DTSTAMP:20260602T185644Z
CREATED:20251209T083025Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260602T185644Z
UID:2552-1781091900-1781100000@brias.be
SUMMARY:Lunchtime Seminars by Maurits Meijers and Emmy Eklundh
DESCRIPTION:Lies\, Damned Lies\, and Politics: How Citizens Make Sense of Political Deception and What it Means for Democracy \nAbstract \nPoliticians across the world are routinely accused of lying. But what do citizens actually understand by political lying\, and does it matter for how they feel about democracy? This lecture presents findings from the DEMO-LIES project on the citizen side of political deception. Drawing on conceptual work on the definition of political lying\, qualitative focus group evidence from Flanders\, and a nationally representative panel diary study conducted in the Netherlands\, I examine three questions. First\, what counts as political lying — and do citizens agree? Second\, how strongly do prior political attitudes shape perceptions of political deception? Third\, what are the downstream consequences of perceiving politicians as liars for citizens’ evaluations of politicians and parties\, their satisfaction with democracy\, and their support for liberal democracy? The findings suggest that perceptions of political lying are deeply partisan\, highly context-dependent\, and consequential: citizens who perceive political lying to be widespread show markedly lower democratic support. The lecture concludes by situating these findings within the broader challenge of political deception for representative democracy.  \nBio\nMaurits Meijers is Research Professor of Political Science at the University of Antwerp. His research examines how representative democracy comes under pressure from political lying\, populism\, and party behaviour\, and how citizens and elites respond. He is Principal Investigator of DEMO-LIES\, an ERC-funded project studying political lying accusations\, how citizens perceive them\, and what they mean for democratic citizenship across Western democracies. \nEurope’s Populist Condition \nIn this talk\, Dr Emmy Eklundh will present her latest book\, Europe’s Populist Condition. Challenging the notion that populism is an anomaly in European politics\, this book argues that the main threat to democracy is the exclusionary nature of European democratic traditions. Drawing on decolonial studies\, feminist theory\, psychoanalysis\, and democratic theory\, the book reveals how liberal democracy in Europe promotes a fantasy of equality while its politics enacts the exact opposite. By exposing these injustices\, the book makes a bold case: populism is not our main problem (or solution)\, but simply another facet of the ills of liberalism. The book is essential reading for understanding the future of democracy in Europe.  \nBio \nEmmy Eklundh is Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University. Her research is located in the interface between European Politics and political and social theory. Emmy uses radical democratic frameworks to further our understanding of democracy in Europe\, the challenges to our current liberal order\, but also the possibilities for democratic reform.  \n  \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-maurits-meijers/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260609T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260609T180000
DTSTAMP:20260526T081358Z
CREATED:20251204T091435Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260526T081358Z
UID:2495-1781020800-1781028000@brias.be
SUMMARY:Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Sergiu Ghergina
DESCRIPTION:Democratic Innovations Beyond Established Democracies: Challenges and Developments in Europe\nDemocratic innovations\, especially the direct and deliberative practices\, gained momentum around the world in the last three decades. They slowly moved from experiments or isolated instances to routine tools in national and subnational governance. Their causes\, functioning and consequences have received extensive attention in established democracies. However\, it is less known what happens in other political settings where representative democracy has been recently consolidated\, democratic backsliding is visible or communities still struggle to follow and implement the democratic principles. This presentation provides an overview of the challenges and recent developments of democratic innovations in Central and Eastern Europe\, an area which brings together three types of countries: new democracies\, transition countries and growingly illiberal regimes that were once democracies. The presentation will focus on institutional practices and people’s attitudes towards democratic innovations\, covering thus both the supply and demand side. \nBio\nSergiu Gherghina is a Professor of Comparative Politics at the Department of Politics and International Studies\, University of Glasgow. His research focuses on party politics\, political participation\, legislative behavior\, and democratic innovations.
URL:https://brias.be/event/public-lecture-big-ideas-for-democracy-sergiu-ghergina/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260604T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260604T150000
DTSTAMP:20260512T104757Z
CREATED:20251209T082923Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T104757Z
UID:2550-1780574400-1780585200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Matthijs Rooduijn
DESCRIPTION:The Far-Right Success Story   \nAbstract\nAcross Europe and beyond\, far-right parties are gaining ground. They challenge the political establishment\, reshape public debate\, and appeal to voters from different social and economic backgrounds. What explains their success? Why do their messages resonate with so many people? And what does their rise mean for the future of liberal democracy? In this seminar we will unpack the dynamics behind the rise of the far right. Drawing on insights from research in this field\, we will explore the social and political conditions that fuel their appeal and the strategies far-right parties use to win over voters. One key conclusion is that far right parties have become skilful communicators of captivating narratives about the past and the future\, and about heroes and villains. The talk will also address how mainstream parties respond\, how shifting media landscapes shape this development\, and what this political transformation means for democratic systems.  \nBio\nMatthijs Rooduijn is Professor of Transdisciplinary Social Science at the University of Amsterdam. He studies the political ideas of parties and voters\, the forces that weaken and strengthen liberal democracy\, and the practice of European and Dutch politics. 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-matthijs-rooduijn/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260529T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260529T190000
DTSTAMP:20260506T113541Z
CREATED:20260427T161715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260506T113541Z
UID:3735-1780059600-1780081200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Public Forum: The Right to the City + BrIAS 26 Closing ceremony
DESCRIPTION:Important notice: The Forum and the Closing Ceremony have separate registration links. Click on the images for their respective registration links.\n\nThe Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies (BrIAS) invites you to a forum on The Right to the City: making Brussels culture a space of freedom\, inclusion and democratic resistance.\n\nAbout the Event\nEnglish\nAt a time when democracies are facing increasing fragility\, the role of art and culture in their preservation and reinvention appears more essential than ever. In Brussels\, a global city with remarkable cultural vitality\, this question is particularly pressing: while artistic wealth abounds\, it remains unequally accessible\, and the balances that sustain it are now being tested. \nHow can the cultural sector remain a space of freedom\, inclusion\, and democratic resistance? \nThis forum brings together researchers\, cultural practitioners\, policymakers\, and public administrators to reflect on the links between artistic practices\, cultural policies\, and democratic life. It explores culture both as a mirror of social tensions and as a driver of transformation. \nThe forum focuses on two key dimensions: (1) equality of access to culture as a driver of democratic engagement and social cohesion; (2) artistic autonomy as a driver of democratic freedom and resistance. \nFrançais\nÀ l’heure où les démocraties sont confrontées à des dynamiques de fragilisation\, le rôle de l’art et de la culture apparaît plus essentiel que jamais. À Bruxelles\, cette question est particulièrement vive : la richesse artistique est réelle mais inégalement accessible. \nComment le secteur culturel peut-il rester un espace de liberté\, d’inclusion et de résistance démocratique ? \nLe forum réunit chercheur·euses\, acteur·rices culturels et décideur·euses autour des liens entre pratiques artistiques\, politiques culturelles et vie démocratique. \nNederlands\nNu democratieën steeds meer onder druk staan\, is de rol van kunst en cultuur belangrijker dan ooit. In Brussel is dit bijzonder zichtbaar: de artistieke rijkdom is groot\, maar de toegang blijft ongelijk verdeeld. \nHoe kan de culturele sector een vrijhaven blijven voor inclusiviteit en democratisch verzet? \nHet forum brengt onderzoekers\, cultuurmakers en beleidsmakers samen rond de relatie tussen kunst\, beleid en democratie. \nDate: Friday 29 May 2026\nLocation: Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, 1050 Brussels\nRegistration: https://tally.so/r/NpJ97Q \n\nProgramme\nAgenda\n\n\n13:00 Welcome / Accueil / Onthaal\n13:30 – 14:45 Forum – Part 1\n15:00 – 16:15 Forum – Part 2\n16:30 – 17:30 BrIAS Closing Ceremony with Keynote speech by Carlotta Scioldo\n17:30 Drink\n\n\n\nForum Sessions\nPart 1 – Access to culture as a fundamental right\nDespite mediation efforts\, large segments of the Brussels population remain excluded from cultural participation. This session highlights grassroots initiatives working to make cultural access a civic reality rather than a privilege. \nPart 2 – Artistic autonomy and democratic resistance\nThis session addresses growing pressures on the cultural sector\, including funding constraints and ideological challenges\, and reflects on how to safeguard artistic independence as a pillar of democracy. \n\nClosing Ceremony\n\nWelcome speeches\nProf. Marius Gilbert (ULB)\nProf. Em. Frank Deconinck (BrIAS)\nProf. Serge Jaumain (BrIAS)\nKeynote\nCarlotta Scioldo\nClosing remarks\nProf. Silvia Erzeel (VUB)\nProf. Emilie van Haute (ULB)\n\n\nPartners\nForum organized by BrIAS in collaboration with RABKO\, OHME\, and GRESAC.
URL:https://brias.be/event/public-forum-the-right-to-the-city-brias-26-closing-ceremony/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260527
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260601
DTSTAMP:20260504T083200Z
CREATED:20251209T084747Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T083200Z
UID:2556-1779840000-1780271999@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS x OHME: Crossing Wires
DESCRIPTION:For the second year in a row\, BrIAS partners with OHME to present five days of events at the intersection of arts and society\, with a special emphasis on the BrIAS Season’s theme: democratic challenges. \nThe programme moves between afternoon conferences and evening presentations\, film screenings and music\, with an exhibition to discover throughout the weekend. Whether you want to understand how new technologies are reshaping our democratic systems — and what you can do about it — or explore the role of the arts in reclaiming our cities\, there is a programme for every curiosity.\nFind the full programme here \nArtists\n\nAnna Safiatou Touré\nAnyuta Wiazemsky Snauwaert\nMarcel Top\nMeriem Steiner\nPhilippe Braquenier
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-x-ohme-crossing-wires/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Other Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260526T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260526T190000
DTSTAMP:20260420T115728Z
CREATED:20260310T171724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T115728Z
UID:3177-1779818400-1779822000@brias.be
SUMMARY:Book presentation: The Oxford Handbook of Belgian Politics
DESCRIPTION:Register here\nBook launch of The Oxford Handbook of Belgian Politics\, a new volume co-edited by Prof. Min Reuchamps (UCLouvain)\, Prof. Marleen Brans (KULeuven)\, Prof. Petra Meier\, (Uantwerpen) and Prof. Emilie van Haute (ULB). \nThe Book launch will bring together members of the diplomatic community\, policymakers\, media representatives\, some of the 97 contributors to the volume\, and guests for an evening of discussion and reflection on the themes explored in the book. \nMore about the Oxford Handbook of Belgian Politics: \nBelgium is a paradoxical case: a country that some argue should not exist\, yet one that has been a model of both democratic innovation and political fragmentation. The Oxford Handbook of Belgian Politics dissects Belgium’s unique institutional architecture\, its complex linguistic and community divides\, and its evolving federal structure. Despite its small size and historically precarious existence\, Belgium has played an outsized role in both political practice and political science scholarship. This volume brings together leading Belgian and international scholars to provide a comprehensive examination of Belgian politics\, offering insights that extend far beyond its borders. \nStructured into five thematic sections\, the Handbook explores key dimensions of Belgian polity\, politics\, and policies. In forty meticulously crafted chapters\, contributors analyze how Belgian politics serves as both an inspiration and a cautionary tale. The country has pioneered electoral reforms\, social policies\, and LGBTQI+ rights\, positioning itself as a laboratory of democratic experimentation. At the same time\, it has experienced extreme governmental instability\, record-breaking coalition negotiations\, and a deeply entrenched partitocracy. Whether viewed as a beacon of democratic resilience or an emblem of institutional gridlock\, Belgium remains a compelling case for understanding the broader dynamics of governance in divided and multilingual societies worldwide.
URL:https://brias.be/event/book-presentation-the-oxford-handbook-of-belgian-politics/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Other Events,Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260526T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260526T180000
DTSTAMP:20260420T101814Z
CREATED:20251204T091346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T101814Z
UID:2493-1779811200-1779818400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Péter Krekó
DESCRIPTION:Register here\nInformational Autocracies and State-Sponsored Disinformation – On the Possibilities and Limits of Institutionalized Brainwashing\nAbstract\nIn today’s information landscape\, the rise of “spin dictatorships” or informational autocracies shows how state actors\, economic elites\, and digital platforms cooperate to sustain mass persuasion. Instead of relying mainly on repression\, these regimes manage information\, engineer public discourse\, and cultivate perceived legitimacy while preserving a façade of democratic competition. Using advanced digital tools\, they influence public opinion through sophisticated media control and polarization. Despite institutional differences\, the psychological and communicative dynamics of persuasion often converge in different political systems: fragmented media\, partisan echo chambers\, and identity-based mobilization create fertile ground for disinformation.\nGoing beyond a supply-side view of propaganda\, the presentation highlights the demand for deceit. Citizens are not merely passive recipients; many actively embrace narratives that affirm group identities and grievances. In polarized contexts\, information is filtered through loyalty more than accuracy\, reinforcing motivated reasoning. This perspective challenges the democracy-autocracy divide. Informational autocraces emerge fromk democracies when political actors normalize disinformation and erode epistemic standards. Hungary illustrates how media capture and centralized resources can turn political competition into a persuasion machine\, while the United States shows how polarization and market-driven media logics can produce similar distortions without centralized control.\nThe presentation concludes by arguing for a reconceptualization of dictatorship and democracy in the digital age and discussing the general possible cpounterstrategies.   As technological infrastructures increasingly mediate political reality\, the key question is not whether a regime represses dissent\, but how it structures the informational environment in which citizens form beliefs and how much democracies can survive in such an environment.\n\nBio\nPéter Krekó is a behavioral scientist and disinformation expert whose research examines the psychological drivers of belief in disinformation\, its political and institutional consequences\, the dynamics of state-sponsored disinformation\, and effective counterstrategies. He holds a PhD from Eötvös Loránd University\, where he is an Associate Professor and leads the Disinformation and Artificial Intelligence Research Lab. His doctoral dissertation focused on the psychological underpinnings of conspiracy theories.\nHe is a Research Affiliate at the CEU Democracy Institute and a Senior Fellow at the CEU Institute for Advanced Study. He has also been an Engaging Central Europe Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Previously\, he was a PopBack Fellow at the University of Cambridge\, a guest researcher at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna\, a Fellow at iASK Kőszeg\, and an Associate Fellow at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna Center. He has served as a Fulbright Visiting Professor at Indiana University and as a Policy Leader Fellow at the European University Institute.\nKrekó is the owner and director of the Political Capital Institute and leads Hungary’s disinformation hub (HDMO-Lakmusz)\, supported by the European Commission under the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) hosted at the European University Institute.
URL:https://brias.be/event/public-lecture-big-ideas-for-democracy-peter-krako/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260521T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260521T150000
DTSTAMP:20260420T090853Z
CREATED:20251209T082825Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T090853Z
UID:2548-1779364800-1779375600@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Jakob Ohme
DESCRIPTION:How to study platform influences on digital democracies\nAbstract\nDigital platforms do not merely host democratic debate — they structure visibility\, shape information flows\, and influence how political opinions are formed. To understand these effects\, we need theory-driven and longitudinal approaches that trace communicative processes over time\, combining digital trace data\, sequence-based analyses\, and innovative data access methods. This talk presents a theoretical perspective on how to study the influence of digital platforms by using data donation exposure trajectories gathered around the 2025 German federal election.  \nBio\nJakob Ohme leads the interdisciplinary Digital News Dynamics research group at Weizenbaum Institute\, which explores the impact and dissemination of professional journalism on digital platforms versus other sources such as influencers or artificial intelligence. Jakob’s work emphasizes the changes digital and mobile communications bring to news consumption and political engagement\, particularly across different generations. He is dedicated to advancing digital methodologies in political communication and journalism research\, notably through the innovative use of digital trace data. Jakob is also a co-principal investigator in the #DSA40 Collaboratory\, focusing on collaborative access to platform data under the EU’s Digital Services Act. He previously held positions at the University of Amsterdam’s ASCoR and at the University of Southern Denmark\, where he earned his PhD.  \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-jakob-ohme/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260511T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260511T130000
DTSTAMP:20260427T091517Z
CREATED:20260115T114539Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260427T091517Z
UID:2900-1778493600-1778504400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Petra Ahrens
DESCRIPTION:Register here\nThe international norm of Gender-Sensitive Parliaments: Navigating Inequality and Inclusion in Democracies under Pressure\nBio\nPetra Ahrens is Academy of Finland Research Fellow at Tampere University\, Finland. Her research focuses on gender policies and politics in the European Union and its institutions\, gender equality in Germany\, gender-sensitive parliaments\, and transnational civil society. Alongside articles\, she is the author of Actors\, Institutions\, and the Making of EU Gender Equality Programs (Palgrave Macmillan\, 2018)\, co-editor\, with Lise Rolandsen Agustín\, of Gendering the European Parliament. Structures\, Policies\, and Practices (Rowman & Littlefield / ECPR Press\, 2019)\, and co-editor\, with Anna Elomäki and Johanna Kantola\, of European Parliament’s Political Groups in Turbulent Times (Palgrave Macmillan\, 2022).  \nThis event will also feature a roundtable discussion with politicians: \n\nKathleen Depoorter (N-VA)\nHannelore Goeman (Vooruit)\nNadia Naji (Groen)\nVincent Van Peteghem (cd&v)\nEva De Bleeker (Anders.)\nLine De Witte (PVDA)
URL:https://brias.be/event/public-lecture-big-ideas-for-democracy-petra-ahrens/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260506T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260506T150000
DTSTAMP:20260504T083231Z
CREATED:20251209T082747Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T083231Z
UID:2546-1778068800-1778079600@brias.be
SUMMARY:Lunchtime Seminars by Mark Brandt
DESCRIPTION:The unintended consequences of depolarization treatments (in the US)\nAbstract\nMany interventions exist for reducing toxic polarization. However\, a possibility is that these interventions that aim to help political opponents get along have unintended side effects. For example\, they may increase other forms of intolerance\, reduce civic engagement\, or reduce people’s willingness to confront prejudices or misinformation. We tested these possibilities in a preregistered experiment with a large sample of US Americans (data collection ongoing\, current N > 1500). Participants are randomly assigned to one of two intervention conditions known to reduce polarization or a control condition. After answering questions related to polarization\, anti-democratic attitudes\, and support for violence (the primary outcomes)\, participants answered questions bout their prejudices towards a variety of social groups\, their willingness to confront prejudice and misinformation\, and their willingness to engage in politics (the possible side effects). Because data collection is ongoing\, I do not yet know the results. I look forward to sharing them with you all.  \nBio\nMark Brandt is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University and is currently a fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study. His research goal is to understand the causes and consequences of political\, religious\, and moral beliefs that can ultimately be leveraged to reduce conflict and promote a more fair\, just\, and free society.    \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-mark-brandt/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260505T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260505T180000
DTSTAMP:20260420T115457Z
CREATED:20251204T091258Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T115457Z
UID:2491-1777996800-1778004000@brias.be
SUMMARY:Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Tània Verge
DESCRIPTION:Register here\nWhen We Are Not in the Room:  Designing Feminist Institutional Change for Resilience and Reactivation \nFeminist institutionalism has long shown that feminist institutional change is rarely one-shot\, given the “genderedness” of organisations/institutions (Benschop & Verloo\, 2006)\, the “nested newness” of reform efforts (Mackay\, 2014)\, and multiple forms of resistance (Tildesley\, Lombardo & Verge\, 2022). Recent work argues that inclusive reforms tend to follow cycles of repetition through which change is sedimented (Cianetti\, 2024). This resonates with Benschop & Verloo’s metaphor of “Sisyphus’ sisters” – organising so each restart begins from a slightly stronger position –\, with Mackay’s (2014) memory-keepers who periodically force recollection\, and with Sara Ahmed’s (2017: 12) insight that “repetition is the scene of a feminist instruction.”  \nThe Catalan case offers unusually clear evidence that while feminist insider activists in executive office can rewrite the gendered rules of the game and effectively implement transformative state feminism\, much feminist change remains deeply embodied – dependent on insider feminist activists’ presence at veto and coordination nodes\, with sufficient expertise and overlapping membership in the feminist movement. Nearly two years on\, following a change of administration\, drift is very visible: new formal and informal gendered rules thin out or are abandoned\, coordination venues are downgraded\, veto power is not exercised\, and technocratic “add-women-and-stir” mainstreaming is back.   \nFrom a dual practitioner-academic perspective as former Minister of Equality and Feminisms\, Government of Catalonia (2021–2024) and feminist institutionalist scholar\, this paper reflects on the extent to which feminist governance can be designed to endure in the absence of feminist insider activists or be relaunched swiftly when they are back in the room. In doing so\, I discuss the gendered legacies seeded\, including: entrenchment across venues and duplicated authority to counter “remembering the old”; memory infrastructures to counter “forgetting the new”; and broadened legitimacy coalitions/audiences to ease the “liability of newness” and embed new feminist logics of appropriateness. This reflection is particularly relevant amid the global dismantling\, backsliding\, and watering-down of feminist policies across governments – whether far-right or centre-left executives – as well as universities and other institutional arenas.  \nBio\nTània Verge is a Full Professor of Politics and Gender at the Department of Political and Social Sciences\, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF\, Barcelona)\, where she led the Equality Unit between 2014 and 2021 and coordinated the Minor in Gender Studies. Between May 2021 and August 2024\, she served as Minister of Equality and Feminisms of the Government of Catalonia\, and between May 2024 and February 2026 she was an MP in the Parliament of Catalonia. Her main area of research is gender and politics\, with a focus on how political parties and parliaments are shaped by gender dynamics and on resistance to the adoption and implementation of equalities policies. Her consultancy and governmental practice have also given her new insights into the possibilities and limitations of feminist institutional redesign.
URL:https://brias.be/event/public-lecture-big-ideas-for-democracy-tania-verge/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260430T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260430T150000
DTSTAMP:20260407T084343Z
CREATED:20251209T082711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T084343Z
UID:2544-1777550400-1777561200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Cristina Leston-Bandeira
DESCRIPTION:Are parliaments at risk of becoming irrelevant?\nAbstract\nParliaments have been conceptualised as a core institution of our representative democracies – they are meant to embody the link between public and governance. However\, in a context of declining levels of trust\, increased polarisation and misinformation\, are they increasingly becoming irrelevant in people’s imaginary? Parliaments drive their legitimacy from the representative link\, but this has become increasingly at odds with 21st century societal expectations towards communication and politics. Over the past couple of decades\, we have seen an extraordinary development of public engagement activities and services by parliaments\, in an attempt to redress mistrust. But has this been meaningful? In this lecture\, I will reflect on the efforts parliaments have undertaken to breach the gap with citizens and consider the extent to which this has strengthened the relationship between public and institution. Drawing in particular from the recent suite of 8 Guides on Citizen Engagement for Parliaments\, I will identify the key challenges that institutions such as parliaments face in keeping their relevance and the main areas that still require development. Finishing on a positive note\, I will identify best practice in parliamentary efforts towards ensuring their work stays relevant to the public. \nBio\nCristina Leston-Bandeira is Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds\, UK\, and the Chair and co-founder of the pioneering International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN). She is a leading scholar on parliaments and public engagement and was awarded the UK Political Studies Association 2025 Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize for her outstanding professional contributions to political studies.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-cristina-leston-bandeira/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260429T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260429T180000
DTSTAMP:20260310T141508Z
CREATED:20251204T091145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T141508Z
UID:2489-1777478400-1777485600@brias.be
SUMMARY:Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Luana Russo
DESCRIPTION:Register here\nPolitical Identity as a Feature of Democracy: Belonging\, Rejection\, and Absence \nPolitical identities are often taken for granted as attachments to parties or ideological camps. Yet citizens differ profoundly in how much politics matters to who they are\, in whether they define themselves through belonging or rejection\, and in whether politics plays any role in their self-concept at all.  \nThis public lecture draws on original comparative research in Western Europe to rethink political identity as a multidimensional phenomenon structured by importance\, direction\, and absence. It distinguishes between positive political identities rooted in belonging\, negative political identities driven by opposition and moral rejection\, and low-salience identities marked by detachment from politics.  \nBy examining how these forms of political identity relate to emotions\, stereotypes\, participation\, and satisfaction with democracy\, the lecture sheds light on why some citizens are mobilized\, others polarized\, and still others disengaged.  \nThe talk concludes by reflecting on what the balance between belonging\, opposition\, and detachment means for the health of contemporary liberal democracies.  \nBio\nLuana Russo is Associate Professor in Political Behavior and Quantitative Methods at Maastricht University\, where she currently also serves as co-Director of CERiM (Centre for European Research in Maastricht). Luana’s research interests focus on elections\, political attitudes and behaviors\, political psychology\, affective polarization\, and negative partisanship. She is dedicated to understanding how individuals form and express their political preferences and form their social identities and affiliations\, particularly within the context of contemporary political polarization.
URL:https://brias.be/event/public-lecture-big-ideas-for-democracy-luana-russo/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260422
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260424
DTSTAMP:20260323T160521Z
CREATED:20260323T160521Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T160521Z
UID:3510-1776816000-1776988799@brias.be
SUMMARY:Festival of Public Policy Transformation
DESCRIPTION:Registration\nhttps://register.event.ulb.be/events/TAP/ \nDetails TBC
URL:https://brias.be/event/festival-of-public-policy-transformation/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260409T124500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260409T150000
DTSTAMP:20260323T155742Z
CREATED:20251209T082629Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T155742Z
UID:2542-1775738700-1775746800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Sabri Derinöz
DESCRIPTION:Unpacking the Framing of Democracy in EU Institutional Discourses on Disinformation Mitigation \nAbstract\nHow do European institutions frame democracy in their discourses and policies about disinformation mitigation? Disinformation is often presented by EU institutions as a threat to democracy that must be resolved (Navarro et al.\, 2025)\, which has led to the development of multiple intervention strategies. Some scholars consider that\, in the context of democratic backsliding\, European institutional discourses defend “a technocratic legalistic perspective [of democracy] over a democratic pluralist one” (Oleart & Theuns\, 2023). This presentation examines how key European institutional documents addressing disinformation (and its mitigation) participate in constructing specific understandings of democracy\, particularly through the central place they attribute to information and to the ecosystem that produces and circulates it (the media\, the public sphere). Drawing on a pragmatist understanding of the sociology of public problems\, where problems are constructed through discourse\, and their framing lead to design specific solutions (Cefaï\, 1996; Widmer\, 2010; Arquembourg\, 2016)\, the analysis focuses on how these documents mobilise notions such as informed citizenship\, public debate and quality information and how these discourses outline a specific democratic imaginary that might influence the range of responses considered appropriate to address contemporary democratic challenges.  \nBio\n Sabri Derinöz is a researcher in media and communication studies who focuses on the construction of public problems through discourse. He is currently part of the EDMO BELUX consortium\, which aims to mitigate disinformation through a multidisciplinary approach. 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-sabri-derinoz/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260408T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260408T180000
DTSTAMP:20260316T074035Z
CREATED:20251209T084230Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T074035Z
UID:2554-1775664000-1775671200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Isaac Owusu-Mensah
DESCRIPTION:Register here\nEnhancing Quality Electoral Governance for Democratic Consolidation in Ghana’s Fourth Republic\nAbstract\nGhana has made significant progress with democratic governance since returning to multiparty politics in 1992. Since then\, competitive election has been the driving force behind its journey to democratic institutionalization. Yet what has obscured scholarly analysis is the grandiose web of activities that underpins and sustains the overall institutional framework of which voting and electoral competition occurs. It notes how Ghana’s electoral process and administration have been largely shaped by the embedded rules formulated\, executed and adjudicated disputes arising within the electoral game. The rule-bound system\, which defines and directs the electoral process and its management has fostered transparency\, inclusive participation\, trust and confidence of stakeholders in the electoral process and served as the vehicle for institutionalizing Ghana’s electoral democracy. Despite the rule-embedded institutional framework of the electoral process architecture\, certain dimensions of it have failed to secure legitimacy/credibility of the elections. Reforms that innovate appropriate technological and other normative measures to build electoral governance’s capacity to produce credible election process and outcome will deepen the institutionalization of Ghana’s electoral democracy. \nBio\nProfessor Isaac Owusu-Mensah is the Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana\, Legon. He previously served as Director of Research at the Office of the President of the Republic of Ghana and as Senior Programme Manager at the Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung. His research focuses on democratic governance and electoral politics in Ghana\, with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and academic books. Professor Owusu-Mensah has also served as a Guest Lecturer at international institutions including Humboldt University in Berlin\, the University of Auckland\, and the University of Waikato in New Zealand. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/public-lecture-big-ideas-for-democracy-isaac-owusu-mensah/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260402T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260402T170000
DTSTAMP:20260316T081216Z
CREATED:20251209T082502Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T081216Z
UID:2540-1775142000-1775149200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Mark Bray
DESCRIPTION:This Seminar is part of our regular Thursday seminar series\, which normally take place at Lunchtime on Thursdays. This seminar will\, however\, exceptionally take place on Thursday afternoon at 15:00 and instead of Lunch we will offer an aperitif afterwards. By registering via the link you will register for the entire Thursday seminar series and receive weekly outlook invitations to our seminars. In case you want your name removed from the list after this event please send an email to Anja.Garone@vub.be \nFascism and Anti-Fascism in Trump’s United States \nAbstract\nMark Bray will speak about mounting authoritarianism in the United States through the lens of his experience fleeing the country after being targeted by the far right as a “domestic terrorist professor” for the publication of his 2017 book Antifa. He will analyze how the American far right has evolved over the past decade\, how antifascist movements have responded\, and what resistance to Trump and ICE looks like in the US today. Bray will situate such developments in a larger historical context and discuss what they mean for the future of far right politics in the US and Europe.  \nBio\nMark Bray is a historian of Modern Europe at Rutgers University focusing on themes of radicalism\, political violence\, and\, more recently\, scams. He is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook and The Anarchist Inquisition: Assassins\, Activists and Martyrs in Spain and France among other works. 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-mark-bray/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260326T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260326T150000
DTSTAMP:20260323T155016Z
CREATED:20251209T082422Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T155016Z
UID:2538-1774526400-1774537200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Alvaro Oleart and Philippe Braquenier
DESCRIPTION:Why AI Technosolutionism Harms Democracy and Deliberation \nAbstract\nTechnology has recently entered the scene of deliberative democracy\, both as a subject of deliberation and as a way to improve deliberative processes. The hegemonic position in this debate within the deliberative democracy community appears to be that\, while it is not a bulletproof solution\, technology—and more specifically AI—holds the potential to make deliberation and democracy better. The article takes stock of the latest developments in relation to technology and deliberation\, focusing specifically on the European Citizens’ Panels and Google’s Habermas Machine. We argue that the current trend is characterised by technosolutionism\, and that introducing technology as a ‘solution’ to ‘fix’ some of the ‘problems’ within the deliberative democracy community reinforces its depoliticisation and disintermediation. Deliberative technosolutionism moves the discussion away from the systemic desirability of minipublics\, sidelines a mass politics conception of democracy\, and leaves unquestioned the political economy of AI. By contrast\, democracy needs to be oriented towards mass politics and collective actors rather than reproducing the narrow conception of democracy and deliberation upon which minipublics are built.  \nBio:  \nAlvaro Oleart is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Political Science and the Institute for European Studies of the Université Libre de Bruxelles. His research focuses on the relationship between political conflict and democracy through a decolonial lens in the context of the European Union by analysing the discourse in the European public spheres\, citizen participation processes\, political parties\, the media\, civil society and transnational social movements from both an empirical and normative perspective. He is the author of the books “Framing TTIP in the European Public Spheres: Towards an Empowering Dissensus for EU Integration” (Palgrave\, 2021) and “Democracy Without Politics in EU Citizen Participation: From European Demoi to Decolonial Multitude” (Palgrave\, 2023).  \nDemocracy Under the Dark Enlightenment: Art\, Photography and the Erosion of Democratic Institutions\nAbstract\nThis session brings together artistic practice and political inquiry in the framework of the Democracy Lab residency co-organised by Ohme and BrIAS.   \nPhilippe Braquenier will open with a presentation of his artistic practice and methodology\, and will then present NRx\, his new project currently in development. Taking Curtis Yarvin’s neo-reactionary “Dark Enlightenment” philosophy as a critical framework\, NRx examines the state of democratic institutions in Brussels\, the capital of Europe and a symbolic heart of the progressive West. Through black-and-white photography and video\, Braquenier documents sites of democratic fragility as a means of making visible the slow erosion of the structures and values that underpin democratic life.   \nThis talk is an open invitation to dialogue. In the framework of his residency\, Braquenier is seeking to connect with BrIAS fellows whose research intersects with questions of democratic backsliding\, institutional trust\, political theory\, and civic culture.   \nBio\nPhilippe Braquenier is a Belgian visual artist based in Brussels. Fascinated by knowledge – how it is collected\, used\, shared and stored\, his work explores our obsession with information at a time when data is becoming ever more omnipresent yet increasingly invisible. With a restrained and impassive perspective\, he connects these ideas to broader questions of evolution\, heritage\, and the precarious nature of the digital revolution.  \nHe holds a Bachelor in photography from the HELB and worked in the advertising industry until 2016. Since his shift to artistic practice\, he has exhibited at the Aperture Foundation in New York\, the Belgian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2018)\, and the JIMEI x Arles International Photo Festival\, among other institutions and galleries. He was a finalist for the Louis Roederer Discovery Award at Les Rencontres d’Arles in 2020.  \nwww.philippebraquenier.com  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-alvaro-oleart/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260319T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260319T150000
DTSTAMP:20260216T085633Z
CREATED:20251209T082302Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260216T085633Z
UID:2536-1773921600-1773932400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Rebekka Kesberg
DESCRIPTION:Foes or Fellow Citizens? Perception of Democratic Legitimacy and Political Polarization\nBio\nRebekka Kesberg is a senior researcher at the University of Sussex (United Kingdom) and the University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands). She completed her PhD in social psychology at Ulm University (Germany)\, where she studied how human values shape perception\, attitudes\, and behavior.  \nFollowing her PhD\, she worked on the international and interdisciplinary UNDPOLAR project\, which investigated political polarization in European democracies. She is currently the principal investigator of Valuing Democracy: The Role of Democracy as a Superordinate Identity in the Justification of Political Violence\, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council. This project examines how citizens in the UK perceive democracy and the extent to which identifying as a democrat influences their attitudes and behaviors\, particularly in relation to the justification of political violence. The project also tests interventions aimed at strengthening democratic support across political divides.  \nRebekka is also a researcher in the Horizon Europe-funded project PushBackLash\, which explores anti-gender backlash and democratic pushback. Her research within the project focuses on anti-gender movements and the narratives they disseminate on social media to create perceptions of threat\, mobilize support and undermine democratic governance.  \nHer work combines insights from psychology and political science to better understand how social dynamics shape democratic life and political conflict. She aims to inform both academic debates and public understanding on how to build and maintain resilient democracies.  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-rebekka-kesberg/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260318T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260318T180000
DTSTAMP:20260223T094530Z
CREATED:20251204T091012Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260223T094530Z
UID:2485-1773849600-1773856800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Edson Tandoc
DESCRIPTION:Register here\nFake news and Asian perspectives: Lessons learned\, problems persisting\, and emerging threats\nThis presentation reexamines the evolving landscape of misinformation and disinformation\, focusing on the Asian region\, drawing on insights from the COVID-19 pandemic\, and extending into the current period shaped by rapid technological advancements\, such as the rise of GenAI. Building on almost a decade of research on media and disinformation in Singapore and collaborations across Asia\, this presentation revisits how different Asian countries responded to the infodemic during COVID-19\, highlighting the interplay between media systems\, government regulations\, and cultural contexts in shaping the spread and reception of online falsehoods. While some lessons have been learned\, persistent challenges remain\, and new threats are emerging. As GenAI tools become more accessible and sophisticated\, they introduce new challenges to information integrity and democratic processes. \nBio\nEdson C. Tandoc Jr. is Professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore\, where he is also the founding Director of the Centre for Information Integrity and the Internet (IN-cube) and the Associate Chair for Research. He serves as the Chair of the Journalism Studies Division of the International Communication Association.\n\nA former newspaper journalist\, his research focuses on the impact of journalistic roles\, emerging technologies\, and audience feedback on the news gatekeeping process. He also studies how people make sense of critical incidents in journalism and participate in reconsidering journalistic norms\, as well as how changing news consumption patterns facilitate the spread of fake news—especially in the age of communicative AI. His recent books include Analyzing Analytics: Disrupting Journalism One Click at a Time (2019) and co-editor of Critical Incidents in Journalism: Pivotal Moments Reshaping Journalism around the World (2020).\n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/public-lecture-big-ideas-for-democracy-edson-tandoc/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
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