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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270107T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270107T140000
DTSTAMP:20261005T095250Z
CREATED:20260724T121515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T095250Z
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SUMMARY:Thursday seminars: Sara Pina & Lucas Kins
DESCRIPTION:Extreme right use of social media in elections campaigns: Countervailing strategies against mainstream political parties\nby Sara Pina \nThis paper analyses the use of social media by extreme-right candidates during election campaigns. Because established traditional parties are more strongly rooted both socially and in the political system\, something which makes them have wider access to the traditional mass media\, extreme-right parties have made an especially intense and innovative use of social media\, in order to compensate for some deficit of traditional media attention.   \nAt the same time\, literature is not consensual about the impact of these strategies in what is called the pos-modern campaigns (Norris\, 2000). On the one hand\, it has been shown in some studies that traditional parties continue to have the same or even wider impact in the public sphere than newcomer parties\, what is called normalization. On the other hand\, it has also been argued that equalization of forces sometimes occurs\, with smaller candidates gaining reinforced visibility thanks to the online use\, approaching their communicational power to established ones (cf.\, among all\, Gibson et al.\, 2003; Gibson\, Lusoli and Ward\, 2007; Wright\, 2011; or Lilleker and Jackson\, 2011).   \nIn order to explain this variation\, we test the degree to which there is a strong correlation between more extreme messages\, their subsequent visualization and repercussion online\, and their overall impact in the polarization of the public sphere. In order to test empirically these assertions\, we will present a comparative study of the content and strategies developed online by the recently created Portuguese and Spanish newcomer extreme right-parties (Chega and Vox\, respectively) during a series of national elections between 2019 and 2022.  \nBio\nSara Pina is a professor at Lusófona University and at FCSH/Universidade Nova de Lisboa\, in their Communication Sciences departments. Her main research areas are mass media ethics and law\, political communication\, and the political use of the internet and social media. She holds a PhD (2018\, University of Lisbon/ICS) on the use of the internet and social media in election campaigns in Portugal and the United States.  \nHer academic and professional path has combined research with hands-on political and media experience. She volunteered in Obama’s 2012 campaign\, was a Visiting Researcher at Georgetown University\, and a Research Assistant at CUNY (City University of New York). From 2017 to 2021\, she served as senior advisor to the Portuguese Minister of Justice\, Francisca Van Dunem. Previously\, she was an advisor to the board of the Luso-American Foundation (FLAD)\, where she managed several programs and scholarships in the political and media fields\, and served as editor-in-chief of the Parallel newsmagazine for Portuguese and American readers. She has also worked extensively as a journalist and press and communication advisor\, primarily in the justice and political fields.  \nShe is the author of two books\, co-author of two others\, and has published scientific articles as well as short fiction. Her academic background also includes a Master’s in Media and Society from FCSH/Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a degree in International Journalism from the School of Journalism in Porto. She has completed specialization and postgraduate studies at several foreign institutions\, including the French School of Public Management (ENA/Paris)\, the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution\, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna\, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.  \nhttps://www.ulusofona.pt/docentes/maria-sara-folhadela-figueiredo-pina-1641  \nBeyond Conflict: Cooperation Framing in Political Elites’ Communication\nby Lucas Kins \nContemporary democracies are often portrayed as being weighed down by increasing animosity among elites and citizens. As a result\, political communication scholarship has become increasingly precise in conceptualising and measuring how hostility manifests in elite discourse (Dodeigne\, 2025). This focus on negativity is understandable: conflict is intrinsic to political competition and attracts significant attention from both traditional and social media (Poljak & Muraille\, 2026). However\, in most countries\, day-to-day political communication is neither negative nor uncivil\, the latter usually being driven by a handful of actors\, and found especially in social (e.g.\, X) and/or partisan media (Druckman et al.\, 2019). Despite this\, we know far less about how political elites represent positive social relations toward their opponents—a particularly important question as affective polarisation is increasingly shown to reflect out-party dislike rather than in-party attachment (Garzia & Ferreira da Silva\, 2025). Drawing on party scholarship on elite cooperation cues (Wagner & Harteveld\, 2024)\, I put forth the concept of affiliative framing\, which describes communication that portrays interparty interactions in terms of cooperation\, mutual respect or belonging\, and depict political opponents as legitimate counterparts with whom positive social relations are possible. I distinguish affiliative framing from adjacent concepts such as positive campaigning and civility\, and develop a multidimensional framework capturing the quality of the relationship\, its basis of engagement\, and its depth. By shifting attention from whether political actors cooperate to how relations between political opponents are represented\, the concept provides a framework for analysing how positive cross-partisan relations are made visible in political communication.  \nBio\nLucas Kins is a postdoctoral researcher in Political Science at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He completed his PhD in 2025 with the support of an FNRS grant (Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique). His doctoral dissertation examined the digital communication strategies of major political parties in Belgium. More broadly\, his research focuses on digital campaigning and its implications for party organisations\, as well as on political cleavages\, polarisation\, and representation in partisan social media communication. In 2022\, he co-founded the Social Media Lab at Sciences Po ULB. 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-sara-pina/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270114T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270114T140000
DTSTAMP:20261005T095524Z
CREATED:20260724T121515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T095524Z
UID:4279-1799928000-1799935200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: Lala Muradova & Alberto López Ortega + Christoph Niessen
DESCRIPTION:Book launch: Cambridge Elements on Gender and Politics\nby Lala Muradova and Alberto López Ortega \nThis book argues that contemporary dating contributes to increasing gender-based political polarization in modern societies. As heterosexual men’s and women’s political beliefs diverge\, especially around feminism and gender equality\, romantic encounters become sites of tension and conflict. Men often encounter women supporting (either directly or indirectly) feminist ideals\, while women frequently face dismissive or sexist attitudes\, fuelling frustration and hostility on both sides. These dynamics intensify political divides within intimate settings\, shape individuals’ attitudes and reinforces broader societal polarization. Our theoretical claims are tested through a multi-method design that combines survey and experimental data with quantitative text analysis of individual responses to an open-ended question from respondents in the UK. The findings highlight the role of romantic contexts in sustaining gendered political polarization. \nBio\nLala Muradova is Associate Professor in Political Psychology and Democracy at the University of Southampton (UK)\, where she is a member of the steering committees of the Centre for Democratic Futures and the Centre for Behavioural Experimental Action and Research (C-BEAR). Her research sits at the intersection of political psychology\, political communication\, and democratic innovations. \nLala is the author of Empathy and Political Reasoning: How Empathy Promotes Reflection and Strengthens Democracy (Cambridge University Press\, 2025)\, and of journal articles published in European Journal of Political Research\, Political Communication\, PLoS ONE\, and Political Studies\, among others. Dr Muradova holds a PhD in Social Sciences from KU Leuven\, Belgium (2021)\, and her doctoral thesis received the 2021 Best Political Science PhD Award from the Belgian and Dutch Political Science Associations\, as well as an honorary mention for the APSA/ICA Political Communication Dissertation Award. \nInstitutionalizing citizen deliberation in Belgium: Who participates? What do participants make of it? And what does the broader public think? \nby Christoph Niessen \nTo regain public trust in governance\, decision-makers around the world make increasing use of new forms of citizen participation that aim at giving citizens a greater say in policy-making. Among these so-called ‘democratic innovations’\, deliberative mini-publics (DMPs) – i.e. gatherings of lay-citizens deliberating before formulating policy recommendations – have received particular attention. In response to criticisms about the limited institutional connection and follow-up of ad hoc DMPs\, some political institutions even went as far as to institutionalize DMPs\, i.e. to embed them within regular political institutions\, such as parliament. Proponents hope that this institutionalization will make DMPs politically more consequential and\, in turn\, let them be seen by both participants and the broader public as credible means of participation. The verdict on whether these hopes hold\, however\, is still out. In this talk\, I use empirical evidence collected among the participants and the broader citizenry for three Belgian cases of institutionalized citizen deliberation: the Mixed Deliberative Committees in the Regions of Brussels and Wallonia\, as well as the Permanent Citizens’ Dialogue in Eastbelgium. I use this evidence to answer three questions: (1) Who participates in institutionalized citizen deliberation? (2) What effect does institutionalized citizen deliberation have on participants? (3) What does the broader citizenry think of institutionalized citizen deliberation?  \nBio\nChristoph Niessen is a postdoctoral researcher in comparative politics\, working on the institutionalization and public reception of democratic innovations\, as well as on multi-level governance and on the determinants of sub-state autonomy demands and conferral. 
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
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270121T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270121T160000
DTSTAMP:20261008T150556Z
CREATED:20261008T150556Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261008T150556Z
UID:4588-1800518400-1800547200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Conference ABSP-VPW-BrIAS: Belgium: The State of the Federation + Seminar by Joke Matthieu
DESCRIPTION:Belgium: The State of the Federation\nProgramme TBD soon. \nDo Voting Advice Applications Make Better Citizens? From Political Knowledge to Vote Choice: Evidence from “De Stemtest” and “De Jongerenstemtest” during the 2024 Elections\nby Joke Matthieu \nVoting Advice Applications (VAAs) have become one of the most widely used information tools in election campaigns. Their democratic promise is considerable: VAAs are expected to inform voters\, mobilize them\, and help them vote in line with their preferences. Yet whether they deliver on these promises remains debated. This BrIAS talk brings together a series of studies on two real-world VAAs used during the 2024 Belgian elections: “De Stemtest” and the youth-oriented “De Jongerenstemtest”. Drawing on randomized experiments embedded in the YouVoice panel study of young citizens aged 16–30\, complemented by panel data on natural VAA use during the campaign\, it examines the influence on party position knowledge\, ideological knowledge\, turnout motivation\, internal political efficacy\, and party preferences. The findings show that VAAs can strengthen young voters’ political knowledge and engagement\, particularly when the tool is tailored to a young audience\, with some indications that less politically sophisticated users benefit most. The BrIAS talk concludes by discussing what these results imply for the democratic value of VAAs and for their design. \nBio\nJoke Matthieu is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Democratic Futures (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and the M2P research group (University of Antwerp). Her research interests include inequalities in political socialization processes and more general research on political behavior. She has published recently in the European Journal of Political Research\, Politics and Gender\, Political Behavior\, and West European Politics. 
URL:https://brias.be/event/conference-absp-vpw-brias-belgium-the-state-of-the-federation-seminar-by-joke-matthieu/
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:20261008T150705Z
CREATED:20260724T121515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261008T150705Z
UID:4280-1800522000-1800554400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Opening Ceremony 2027
DESCRIPTION:  \n \nClick on the image to RSVP. Alternative link here. \nProgramme\n\n\n\n16:00–16:15\nWelcome speeches\, BrIAS directors and university authorities\nProf. Em. Frank Deconinck\, BrIAS co-director\, VUB\nProf. Serge Jaumain\, BrIAS co-director\, ULB\n\n\n16:15–16:30\nWelcome speeches\, Vice-Rectors\nProf. Marius Gilbert\, Vice-Rector of research and valorisation\, and vice-rector for culture and scientific mediation\, ULB\nProf. Pieter Ballon\, Vice-Rector of research\, VUB\n\n\n16:30–17:15\nRoudtable democratic solutions\n\n\n17:15–17:30\nInterlude\n\n\n17:30–17:45\nWelcome speech\, programme directors\nProf. Silvia Erzeel\, VUB\nProf. Emilie van Haute\, ULB\n\n\n17:45\nReception\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/opening-ceremony-2027/
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:20270128T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270128T140000
DTSTAMP:20261005T100112Z
CREATED:20260724T121516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T100112Z
UID:4282-1801137600-1801144800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: Raul Magni-Berton & Clara Egger + Yasemin Uluşahin
DESCRIPTION:Book launch: Direct Democracy Institutions in a Globalized World. The New Democratic Frontier\nby Raul Magni-Berton and Clara Egger \nThis book titled Direct Democracy Institutions in a Globalized World. The New Democratic Frontier challenges the idea that representative democracy is the pinnacle of political development and redefines its conceptual boundaries. The authors argue that when citizens can directly initiate and veto constitutional changes\, democracy enters a new phase – direct democracy – as a distinct political system. Using original data and comparisons across six countries and 15 U.S. states\, the book shows that direct democracies foster legitimacy\, stability and engagement. Combining historical\, institutional and empirical insights\, the book reframes democracy’s future and offers a timely guide for expanding citizen power in the 21st century. This book is of key interest to scholars and students of democratic regimes\, reform and democratization and\, more broadly\, comparative politics.  \nBio\nRaul Magni-Berton est professeur de sciences politiques à l’Université catholique de Lille\, et titulaire de la Chaire Démocratie directe comparée. Il travaille dans le champs de l’économie politique et la politique comparée\, dans des thématiques autour de la démocratie\, la violence politique\, les droits politiques. Récemment\, ses recherches et son activité au sein de la société civile se sont concentrées sur la démocratie directe et la subsidiarité ascendante.    \nClara Egger is Assistant Professor of Global Governance at Erasmus University Rotterdam\, where she works on crisis governance and (de) democratization processes. She coordinates the Horizon Europe project TWIN4DEM\, which explores how computational methods can help understand and safeguard democratic institutions. Her research combines comparative work on direct democracy with research on international and crisis governance\, using an international political economy approach.  \nWhose Voice to Believe When Authorities Disagree? Misinformation\, Populism and Conspiracy Mentality \nby Yasemin Uluşahin \nWhat happens when authorities tell us different things on critical issues such as our health? Today\, there is rarely a single voice telling citizens what to do and how to react. More often\, multiple voices with claims to authority enter the public sphere at once\, each presenting itself as acting in the public interest\, and citizens must decide whom to trust. This is what happened in September 2025\, when President Trump stated at a White House press conference that Tylenol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy is linked to autism\, a claim quickly contested by obstetricians. In Study 1 (N = 444)\, US adults placed the two voices\, Trump and scientists\, relative to one another\, which we call relative categorisation. In two pre-registered experiments\, we tried to shift that placement by changing how distant scientists seemed from ordinary people (Study 2\, N = 382) or the institutional setting they spoke from (Study 3\, N = 188). Relative categorisation was the strongest predictor of belief that Tylenol is safe\, explaining close to half the variance (R² = .48\, .44 and .42)\, regardless of political orientation or 2024 vote. Populist attitudes were common across the political spectrum but predicted belief only weakly (R² = .03)\, and most of the link with conspiracy mentality disappeared once categorisation was taken into account. Our manipulations made people feel closer to scientists\, but trust and belief did not change. Populism and conspiracy thinking both describe a contest between the people and the elite\, yet they do not say who belongs in each camp. Our findings suggest that who citizens categorise as part of “the elite” is central to whom they choose to believe.  \nBio\nYasemin Uluşahin is a FNRS Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Université libre de Bruxelles\, affiliated with the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology (CeSCuP). She received her PhD in Social and Political Psychology from the University of St Andrews.Her research examines how social identities and shared representations shape belief formation and political engagement. She is particularly interested in intergroup relations\, leadership processes\, conspiracy beliefs\, and populism. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods\, she investigates how group dynamics and identity leadership influence trust in information and engagement with political discourse.
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:20270201T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270201T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121516Z
CREATED:20260724T121516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121516Z
UID:4284-1801474200-1801485000@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-2/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270202T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270202T140000
DTSTAMP:20260925T132112Z
CREATED:20260724T121516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T132112Z
UID:4285-1801569600-1801576800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Jolanda Jetten + BIFD Andrew Chadwick
DESCRIPTION:Living in an unequal world: Consequences for societies’ social and political vitality\nby Jolanda Jetten \nSocietal inequality has been found to have pernicious effects reducing mental and physical health and decreasing societal cohesion. However\, this work lacks compelling\, theory-driven explanations for why inequality has these effects and when and for whom these effects are likely to emerge. These are important gaps because to respond effectively to inequality we need a holistic understanding of its effect on individuals as well as the collectives within which they are embedded and that structure their interactions with one another. A social psychological analysis can help to fill the gaps in this picture in at least three ways: (1) by pointing to the processes that explain why inequality has negative effects for individuals and societies\, (2) by emphasising the relevance of subjective perceptions of inequality\, and (3) by identifying the group dynamics that underpin the negative effects of inequality. I will present a range of studies and contexts where we have examined the effect of objective measures of inequality as well as perceptions of inequality on outcomes such as well-being\, the desire for more\, the wish for a strong leader\, prosocial behaviour\, and the endorsement of conspiracy theories. The findings underscore the notion that inequality may have even more far-reaching consequences than believed until now. Investigating the effects of inequality on citizens’ socio-political behaviour may be increasingly relevant in the light of today’s turbulent political and social landscape.  \nBio\nJolanda earned her PhD from the University of Amsterdam in 1997 and has held academic positions at the University of Queensland and the University of Exeter. She returned to the University of Queensland in 2007 as a Research Fellow and has since held ARC Future and UQ Development Fellowships\, as well as the Belgian Francqui Fellowship (2018) and ARC Laureate Fellowship (2019–2024). Her research examines group processes\, social identity\, and intergroup relations\, particularly their effects on mental health and well-being. She also studies economic inequality\, collective responses to societal change\, and resilience following disasters.\nJolanda has served as co-Chief Editor of leading journals and held presidential roles in professional societies. Her honours include the Spearman Medal\, Kurt Lewin Medal\, and Lifetime Achievement Award from the European Association of Social Psychology. She is a Fellow of ASSA and has served on Australian and European research councils\, as well as the Australian Government’s BETA academic panel. \nAI and the New Politics of Protective Epistemic Sovereignty\nby Andrew Chadwick \nIn this talk\, I will introduce the concept of protective epistemic sovereignty (PES)\, an ‘umbrella’ concept for making sense of some key challenges AI poses and how polities might respond. PES concerns AI’s role in social and civic harms that have communicative\, informational\, and knowledge-based dimensions. It explicitly recognises that governance institutions can intervene either to regulate AI directly or to coordinate and cultivate regulatory PES norms among non-state actors operating at multiple levels. Public attitudes about AI’s future have entered a more balanced phase: the boosters and the refusers are joined by a growing group of the uncertain and the worried. Concerted activity to embed PES is therefore likely to be a necessary political response to AI in future.  \nBio\nAndrew Chadwick (PhD\, London School of Economics and Political Science) is Professor of Political Communication in the Department of Communication and Media at Loughborough University and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences. He studies how digital media are implicated in social and political power in four main areas: political mobilisation\, political engagement\, deception and dis/misinformation\, and news and journalism.\nHis work has won multiple international awards from the American Political Science Association\, the International Communication Association\, and the American Sociological Association. In addition\, The Hybrid Media System: Politics and Power (Oxford University Press\, 2013; 2nd Edition\, 2017) received the International Journal of Press/Politics Best Book Award\, which recognises an outstanding book over a ten year period. Earlier books include Internet Politics: States\, Citizens\, and New Communication Technologies (Oxford University Press\, 2006) and The Handbook of Internet Politics (Routledge\, 2009; co-edited with Philip N. Howard).\nAndrew has published more than 120 academic research articles\, book chapters\, public reports\, reviews\, and press articles and is series editor for Oxford Studies in Digital Politics\, which he launched in 2010. In recent years\, he has advised various policymaking bodies\, including for example the UK Department of Digital\, Media\, Culture and Sport (DCMS) Counter-Disinformation Policy Forum\, the Government Office for Science Rapid Project on AI-driven disinformation\, and the DCMS’s scoping for the BBC Royal Charter Review and its implementation phase.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-bifd-jolanda-jetten-bifd-andrew-chadwick/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270204T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270205T180000
DTSTAMP:20260930T130050Z
CREATED:20260724T121531Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260930T130050Z
UID:4286-1801731600-1801850400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Workshop CERIUM-BrIAS: The end of affective polarization?
DESCRIPTION:Affective polarisation has received enormous scholarly attention in the last decade. First introduced by the seminal article by Iyengar and colleagues in 2012\, the concept of affective polarisation captures the affective distance between political in- and out-groups. While originally applied to the context of the United States\, it has long spread across the world\, including to European political science (Reiljan\, 2020; Wagner\, 2021). In the meantime\, however\, the initial scholarly excitement about affective polarisation seems to have given way to growing scepticism about the accuracy\, conceptual depth and explanatory value of the concept. \nWhile originally assumed to contribute to the study of the deteriorating state of Western liberal democracies\, more recent findings cast doubt on this causal relationship (Broockman et al.\, 2023; Voelkel et al.\, 2023). Furthermore\, despite repeated criticism of the measurement of AP as the spread between like-dislike scores towards political parties (see Röllicke\, 2023; Maes et al.\, 2024; Bernaerts\, 2025)\, it remains the gold standard of the field with new measurement suggestions (e.g. Campos & Federico\, 2025; Finkel et al.\, 2021; McMurtrie et al.\, 2024) struggling to systematically replace it. At the same time\, political theorists increasingly question the current use of the concept of affective polarisation and problematise the sometimes overly simplistic ways in which it has been related to democracy (Schedler\, 2023; Rostbøll\, 2024). \nAll of this begs the question: Has affective polarisation been used as a catch-all term to grasp broader divisions and conflict in society which fails to grasp the underlying phenomena of interest – such as democratic demise\, interpersonal friction or intergroup conflict? Or have we arrived at a pivotal moment in the study of affective polarisation where the concept grows into adulthood\, requiring new ways to approach the concept and its broader study? \nIn this multidisciplinary workshop\, we want to pay attention to both the conceptual questions (what exactly is it we are trying to grasp with the concept of AP?)\, the measurement problems (are we actually measuring what we claim to be measuring?) but also the broader question of relevance (should we re-shift our attention to other concepts for studying the broader questions we are tackling?). \nWe specifically aim to bring together different theoretical and empirical perspectives from different disciplines to generate new insights into the role of affective polarisation in the decline and erosion of democracy worldwide. \nProgramme\nThursday\, 4 February 2027\n\n\n\n12:00–13:00\nArrival and Lunch\n\n\n13:00–13:30\nIntroduction by Kamil Bernaerts & Lena Röllicke\n\n\n13:30–15:00\nPanel 1: What exactly is Affective Polarisation and what do we measure?\nManuel Almagro\nAlexa Bankert & Leonie Huddy\nFelix Grundwald\, Arndt Leininger & Nelly Buntfuß\nLarissa Knöchelmann et al.\n\n\n15:00–15:15\nCoffee Break\n\n\n15:15–16:45\nPanel 2: How “bad” is it really?\nJoe Phillips et al.\nJoseph Noonan\nManuel Kogel\n\n\n16:45–18:00\nBreak and transfer to roundtable location (tbc)\n\n\n18:00–19:30\nRoundtable: The end of Affective Polarisation? by Jérémy Dodeigne\, University of Namur\nEelco Harteveld\, University of Amsterdam\nAndres Reiljan\, University of Tartu\nLuana Russo\, Maastricht University\n\n\nAround 19:30\nWorkshop Dinner\nPlace tbc\n\n\n\nFriday\, 5 February 2027\n\n\n\n9:00–10:30\nPanel 3: Differences between (legitimate) policy disagreement and affective polarisation\nHenry Maes\nGreta Gross & Swen Hutter\nSvend-Erik Skaaning & Cem Mert Dalli\n\n\n10:30–10:45\nCoffee Break\n\n\n10:45–12:15\nPanel 4: Rethinking depolarisation?\nJasper Neerdaels & Artemis Tsoulou-Malakoudi\nSam Fuller & Gal Bitton\nMark Brandt & Abigail Cassario\nAmalía Nestoris\n\n\n12:15–13:00\nLunch\n\n\n13:00–14:30\nPanel 5: Should we study something else – or study affective polarisation differently?\nJoão Areal & Anna Petherick\nRuben Scheunders\nMelanie Schiller\, Valerie Knöpker & Romy Mennen\n\n\n14:30–15:00\nWrapping Up\n\n\n\n \n\n\n     
URL:https://brias.be/event/workshop-cerium-brias-the-end-of-affective-polarization/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270208T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270208T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121531Z
CREATED:20260724T121531Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121531Z
UID:4287-1802079000-1802089800@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-3/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270211T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270211T140000
DTSTAMP:20260925T132820Z
CREATED:20260724T121531Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T132820Z
UID:4288-1802347200-1802354400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Stathis Kalyvas + BIFD Frank Mols
DESCRIPTION:Violent Political Conflict\nby Stathis Kalyvas \nWe study and speak of different forms of political violence\, from torture to ethnic conflict\, from war to genocide\, from crimes against humanity to terrorism\, using a profusion of “natural categories” that have emerged organically\, are politically charged\, and ultimately impede our understanding of this deplorable yet universal form of collective human behavior. I propose\, present\, and discuss a new way to rationalize this field of political activity and to minimize our categories. I argue that this conceptual move allows us to analyze\, but importantly also to describe\, the complex landscape of political violence more effectively. \nBio\nStathis N. Kalyvas is Gladstone Professor of Government and fellow of All Souls College at Oxford. He was\, until 2018\, the Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science at Yale University\, where he founded and directed the Program on Order\, Conflict\, and Violence and co-directed the Hellenic Studies Program. In 2019 he founded the T. E. Lawrence Program on Conflict and Violence at All Souls College. He is the author\, among others\, of The Rise of Christian Democracy in Europe (Cornell University Press\, 1996) and The Logic of Violence in Civil War (Cambridge University Press\, 2006). His work has received multiple awards and he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008 and the British Academy in 2020. Since December 2023 he also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. \nCollective Amnesia in Political Science Research\nby Franks Mols \nBio\nFrank Mols is Senior Lecturer in the School of Political Science and International Studies at The University of Queensland\, Australia. His research interests include elections\, voting\, populist radical right parties\, leadership\, political communication\, political behaviour and evidence-based policy.\nFrank’s research has been published in leading international journals\, including Leadership Quarterly\, European Journal of Political Research\, Political Psychology\, Public Administration\, West European Politics\, Journal of Common Market Studies\, Evidence and Policy\, China Quarterly\, Journal of Social Issues\, Frontiers in Communication\, Australian Journal of Political Science\, and the Australian Journal of Public Administration.\nHis 2017 book The Wealth Paradox (co-authored with Jolanda Jetten and published by Cambridge University Press) has attracted international attention and praise for having debunked pervasive myths about populist parties and their voter base.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-bifd-stathis-kalyvas-bifd-frank-mols/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270215T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270215T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121532Z
CREATED:20260724T121532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121532Z
UID:4289-1802683800-1802694600@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-4/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270218T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270218T140000
DTSTAMP:20260925T133027Z
CREATED:20260724T121532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T133027Z
UID:4290-1802952000-1802959200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Yasin Koç
DESCRIPTION:Do the People Consider Democracies as More Reliable International Allies?\nby Yasin Koç \nBio\nYasin Koc holds a PhD in social psychology from the University of Sussex and is Assistant Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Groningen. Recognised as a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science\, he has also held visiting research positions at Princeton University and Université Paris Nanterre. His research focuses on marginalised identities and intergroup relations\, with the aim of improving the well-being and social status of minoritised groups and fostering more equitable relations.\nUsing experimental\, qualitative\, and mixed methods\, he examines how disadvantaged groups navigate unequal social systems and how advantaged groups can be mobilised to recognise inequality and support social change. He recently completed an FMSH-funded study on multiple marginalisation among older queer migrants from Turkey in France. He currently leads the NWO-funded project *Reimagining Intergroup Apologies*\, which explores community-centred approaches to intergroup apologies and social cohesion in contexts of polarisation and historical conflict.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-bifd-yasin-koc/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270222T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270222T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121547Z
CREATED:20260724T121547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121547Z
UID:4291-1803288600-1803299400@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-5/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270225T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270225T140000
DTSTAMP:20260925T134004Z
CREATED:20260724T121547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T134004Z
UID:4292-1803556800-1803564000@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: Sofia Serra-Silva + Oscar Mazzoleni
DESCRIPTION:Book launch: Open Parliaments: The Reality of Public Engagement in European Democracies\nby Sofia Serra-Silva \nDemocratic weaponizing: the challenge of the contemporary radical right\nby Oscar Mazzoleni \nBio\nOscar Mazzoleni is a professor in political science at the University of Lausanne. His current interests are devoted on political parties\, populism\, nationalism\, regionalism\, electoral studies\, and Swiss politics in comparative perspective. His last book is “The radical right and demographic populism” (ed. with K. Koxha)\, Manchester University Press\, 2026.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-book-launch-open-parliaments-the-reality-of-public-engagement-in-european-democracies-oscar-mazzoleni/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270301T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270301T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121547Z
CREATED:20260724T121547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121547Z
UID:4293-1803893400-1803904200@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-6/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270302T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270304T180000
DTSTAMP:20260909T113838Z
CREATED:20260724T121547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260909T113838Z
UID:4294-1803978000-1804183200@brias.be
SUMMARY:WIAS-BrIAS workshop: Democratic Governance in Transition. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Polarization\, AI\, and Inclusion
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/wias-brias-workshop-democratic-governance-in-transition-interdisciplinary-approaches-to-polarization-ai-and-inclusion/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270302T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270302T160000
DTSTAMP:20260925T134632Z
CREATED:20260909T113034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T134632Z
UID:4359-1803999600-1804003200@brias.be
SUMMARY:BIFD Osman Kıratlı
DESCRIPTION:Do the People Consider Democracies as More Reliable International Allies?\nby Osman Sabri Kıratlı \nBio\nOsman Sabri Kiratli is an associate professor of International Relations at the Waseda Institute of Advanced Study\, Waseda University\, Tokyo. Previously\, he worked as an associate professor at Bogazici University\, Istanbul. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst\, MA\, and also served as a Humboldt Research Fellow at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center.\nHis academic expertise includes political behavior\, international political economy\, international organizations\, foreign aid\, and European Union and Turkish politics. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Standing Group on International Relations and has published extensively in leading political science journals\, including Perspectives on Politics\, The Review of International Organizations\, Political Behavior\, European Journal of Political Research\, European Union Politics\, Public Opinion Quarterly\, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies\, Party Politics\, and Political Studies.
URL:https://brias.be/event/bifd-osman-kiratli/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270303T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270303T170000
DTSTAMP:20260925T134344Z
CREATED:20260909T113211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T134344Z
UID:4361-1804060800-1804093200@brias.be
SUMMARY:BIFD Risa Matsuo
DESCRIPTION:“Fantasy” according to Fryderyk Chopin: A Comparative Study Using Subjects by George Sand and Adam Mickiewicz\nFryderyk Chopin (1810-49) composed three piano-solo works related to “fantasy (fantaisie)” (op. 44\, op. 49 and op. 61)\, all in the 1840s. This study investigates what motivated him to compose this series of “fantastic” works. In 1839\, his lover George Sand wrote Essay on Fantastic Drama\, in which she praised Adam Mickiewicz’s dramatic poem Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve) Part III as the most “fantastic world”. We can see from Chopin’s letters that he was moved by Sand’s manuscript. Dziady Part III was an important work for the Polish people\, who then were forced into exile or combat by Russian imperial rule\, to reflect on their Catholic spirituality. This presentation will make a comparative reference to Spiridion (1839)\, a philosophical novel written by Sand during her stay in Mallorca with Chopin\, and consider whether Mickiewicz and Sand’s “fantasy” could have influenced Chopin’s subsequent compositions. I would like to attempt to project a scene from the 19th century\, a time when many peoples\, ideas and arts intersected\, with the current crisis in Ukraine close to our hearts. \nBio\nRisa Matsuo is a musicologist and comparative scholar. In 2010-2013\, she studied at the Institute of Musicology and the Institute of Polish Literature at the University of Warsaw. From 2010-2013\, she was a fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS-DC1) and in 2018\, she received her PhD from the Department of Comparative Literature and Culture at the University of Tokyo. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship (JSPS-PD) and served as a Visiting Researcher at the CERC at Sorbonne Nouvelle University\, she is currently an Assistant Professor at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study. She received the Japanese Association of Comparative Literature Award in 2020.
URL:https://brias.be/event/bifd-rita-matsuo/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270304T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270304T140000
DTSTAMP:20260925T134929Z
CREATED:20260909T113535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T134929Z
UID:4363-1804161600-1804168800@brias.be
SUMMARY:BIFD Lizhou Wang + BIFD Jinwon Lee
DESCRIPTION:Institutionalizing Knowledge Diplomacy in Northeast Asia: Universities\, Scholars\, and Academic Cooperation Governance\nby Lizhou Wang \nAs geopolitical tensions increasingly reshape international academic relations\, how can universities sustain cooperation across political and national divides? This talk examines the institutionalization of knowledge diplomacy in Northeast Asia\, focusing on the roles of universities\, scholars\, and regional cooperation mechanisms in maintaining cross-border academic ties. Drawing on examples from China\, Japan\, and South Korea\, it explores how academic actors navigate tensions between national interests\, geopolitical pressures\, and the norms of reciprocity and mutual benefit that underpin durable cooperation. The talk considers when academic cooperation can move beyond individual relationships and short-term initiatives to become institutionally embedded and resilient to political change. By examining Northeast Asia as a region characterized by both deep knowledge interdependence and persistent geopolitical tensions\, the talk also reflects on the broader potential—and limits—of universities and scholars as actors in knowledge diplomacy. \nBio\nLizhou Wang studies the politics and governance of global knowledge relations\, with a particular focus on higher education and research cooperation in East Asia. Her research examines how geopolitical tensions\, power asymmetries\, and institutional interests shape the production and circulation of knowledge across borders.\nShe is particularly interested in knowledge diplomacy and the role of universities as actors in international and regional cooperation. Her current work explores how cross-border academic collaboration is negotiated and sustained amid growing geopolitical fragmentation. \nFrom Security Institution to Political Symbol: Political Polarization and the U.S.–South Korea Alliance : How has recent political polarization transformed existing interpretations of the U.S.–ROK alliance into competing political identities?\nHow has recent political polarization transformed interpretations of the U.S.- South Korea alliance into competing political identities? While the U.S.–South Korea alliance has long been regarded as a cornerstone of South Korea’s security policy\, growing political polarization has altered the way it is understood and debated. In recent years\, transnational conservative networks\, digital media\, and the diffusion of American political narratives have increasingly linked support for the alliance to broader ideological identities\, including pro-Trump politics\, conservative Christian activism\, and anti-China sentiment. As a result\, the alliance is no longer interpreted solely as a security institution but has also become a politically contested symbol. This study argues that the transformation lies not in the alliance itself\, but in the social meanings attached to it. Drawing on discourse analysis of political speeches\, media content\, and public debates\, as well as original survey evidence from South Korea\, the study examines how political polarization has reshaped the symbolic meaning of the U.S.–South Korea alliance and transformed competing policy preferences into identity-based narratives. By analyzing the alliance as both a security institution and a political symbol\, the project contributes to research on alliance politics\, political polarization\, and the domestic construction of foreign policy identities. \nBio\nJinwon Lee is an assistant professor at Waseda University. She received a PhD of Political Science\, University of Illinois at Urbana– Champaign. She served as a researcher at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and a research associate at the Korea Institute for National Unification. She received her B.A. in political science and an M.A. in international peace and security from Korea University. Her research focuses broadly on international security and alliance politics.\nSpecifically\, she analyze the dynamics between patrons and protégés in military alliances. Her research agenda includes examining how protégés respond to patrons’ military commitments and policy decisions\, the interaction between a patron’s military commitments and non-proliferation policies affecting its protégé\, and the credibility of nuclear extended deterrence. she has investigated these topics using original large-N data and conducting archival research for in-depth case studies on the US-South Korea and China-North Korea alliances and their intra-alliance relations.
URL:https://brias.be/event/bifd-lizhou-wang-thursday-seminars-prof-kubo-and-prof-iiyama/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270308T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270308T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121547Z
CREATED:20260724T121547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121547Z
UID:4295-1804498200-1804509000@brias.be
SUMMARY:Junior Scholar event: Interdisciplinary Methodology Workshop Series on Democracy and Authoritarianism
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/junior-scholar-event-interdisciplinary-methodology-workshop-series-on-democracy-and-authoritarianism/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270311T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270311T140000
DTSTAMP:20260925T135241Z
CREATED:20260724T121601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T135241Z
UID:4296-1804766400-1804773600@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Mathieu Arsenault + Nino Junius
DESCRIPTION:The Politics of Recognition and its Limits: Cultural Diversity\, Governance and Indigenous Self-Recognition in Canada\nby Mathieu Arsenault \nReflecting on the demand for recognition as one of the driving forces behind nationalist movements in politics\, Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor argued more than 30 years ago that our identities are shaped by the recognition\, the lack thereof\, or the misrecognition of others. In a context where our societies are increasingly multicultural and integrated into supranational political and economic organizations\, the politics of recognition offer a framework to reconsider the conciliation of diversity and justice in liberal democracies. View from the Canadian context\, recognition appeared as a means of improving coexistence among the various groups that contribute to the cultural diversity of cities such as Montreal\, but also of provincial and federal states like Quebec and Canada. While the politics of recognition offer us tools to reflects on modern social movement centred on multiculturalism\, gender\, race and minority groups\, some Indigenous voices are criticizing the liberal approach based on recognition as a tool that now serves to reproduce the dynamics of colonial domination. If due recognition is indeed a vital human need\, how can we assure that it also contributes to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and promotes a more inclusive and democratic form of governance. \nBio\nMathieu Arsenault is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the Université de Montréal and editor of the journal Bulletin d’histoire politique. A specialist of 19th-century Indigenous history in Canada\, he obtained a PhD in history from York University (Toronto) in 2019. He is the author of several publications in Indigenous history and historiography and was awarded the Medal of Excellence in Research from the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 2023. In 2026\, he published the book Ne rejette pas nos paroles: Politique autochtone et gouvernance coloniale au Canada (1815–1860). \nA member of the Centre interuniversitaire d’études et de recherches autochtones (CIÉRA) and the Chaire de recherche en histoire contemporaine du Québec\, his current research focuses on relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples\, the dynamics between First Nations and the State\, as well as medical colonialism in Quebec and Canada. He received an International Chair as part of his collaboration with the Université Libre de Bruxelles during the spring 2027. \nDeliberative democracy in an unlikely place?  Examining the quality of deliberation within political parties \nby Nino Junius  \nDeliberative democracy holds that legitimate decisions require high-quality deliberation marked by inclusion\, respect\, and the consideration of diverse perspectives. Political parties have traditionally been seen as hierarchical organizations that hinder such deliberation\, but scholars have recently begun to revisit their potential as deliberative forums. This presentation contributes to this emerging literature with the first systematic empirical analysis of deliberative quality within political parties. It focuses on two dimensions: the inclusiveness of deliberation and the extent to which diverse perspectives are considered. Drawing on audio recordings and field notes of 40 local party branch meetings in Flanders\, complemented by member surveys and interviews\, it examines how socio-demographic traits\, power status\, and ideology shape deliberative quality. The findings speak to how parties can strengthen their internal functioning at a time of widespread citizen dissatisfaction with parties.  \nBio\nNino Junius is a postdoctoral researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel\, supported by a three-year fundamental research fellowship from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). His research interests include deliberative democracy\, democratic innovations\, and their relation to political parties. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative methods\, he has published in journals such as the European Journal of Political Research\, Democratization\, Party Politics\, and European Political Science Review.  \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-bifd-mathieu-arsenault-nino-junius/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270315T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270315T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121601Z
CREATED:20260724T121601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121601Z
UID:4297-1805103000-1805113800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Junior Scholar Event: Interdisciplinary Methodology Workshop Series on Democracy and Authoritarianism
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/junior-scholar-event-interdisciplinary-methodology-workshop-series-on-democracy-and-authoritarianism-2/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270318T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270318T180000
DTSTAMP:20260925T140147Z
CREATED:20260724T121601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T140147Z
UID:4298-1805360400-1805392800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Forum: Re-Designing democracy: Spaces\, Infrastructures\, Institutions + BIFD André Bächtiger + BIFD Maija Setälä
DESCRIPTION:Re-Designing democracy: Spaces\, Infrastructures\, Institutions\nMore Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content. \nDesigning Democracy on Mars and Earth \nby André Bächtiger \nPrevailing efforts to redesign our troubled governance institutions either focus on radical reform proposals or take a pragmatic\, modest approach to institutional reform. I propose a novel utopian approach for current disruptive times\, based on citizens´ collective imaginaries. I argue that “Mars” provides an intriguing “metaphor” for imaginative thinking about future governance. I show that a “blank-slate” Mars scenario where participants could reinvent governance from scratch induces citizens around the globe to choose novel\, “hybrid” governance systems involving a co-equal mix of legacy (representative) institutions and institutional innovations. Such imaginations can make us rethink our institutional preferences on “Earth”\, whereby blending utopian and pragmatic design thinking can strike new balances between the “imaginative” and the “feasible”.  \nBio\nAndré Bächtiger is Professor of Political Theory and Empirical Democracy Research at the University of Stuttgart. His research focuses on the challenges of mapping and measuring deliberation\, the role of deliberative innovations in democratic systems and the design of future democracy. His ongoing ERC Advanced Grant “DDME – Designing Democracy on Mars and Earth” focuses on how to design future democracy by taking a citizen-centered perspective. His research has been published by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press as well has appeared in journals such as Science\, American Political Science Review or British Journal of Political Science. \nDemocratic myopia revisited: New causes and remedies for a blurry vision?\nby Maija Setälä \nThe democratic myopia argument states that representative democratic institutions give rise to short-termism in policymaking. As a result\, representative systems often fail to make policy decisions that are beneficial in the long term. While the democratic myopia thesis is still relevant\, I argue that some recent developments further undermine democracies’ capacity to think and act for the future. At the moment\, short-termism is aggravated by the deterioration of the public sphere\, heightening geopolitical competition\, and increasing uncertainties about not just the distant\, but also the near future especially when it comes to impacts of AI. While many of these developments seem to be beyond the control of democratic governments\, I suggest some pathways of developing the capacity of democratic systems to make decisions and to commit to policies that help address long-term problems.  \nBio\nMaija Setälä gained her PhD at the LSE in 1997. She is currently a Professor in Political Science at the University of Turku\, Finland. Setälä is a political theorists who also likes to conduct empirical and experimental research. She specialises in democratic theory\, political trust\, direct democracy\, and democratic innovations. She has published widely on these topics\, for example\, in European Journal of Political Research\, Political Behaviour\, and Policy Studies. Setälä has led several large and multidisciplinary research projects. Currently\, she leads Research Group for Innovating Democracy (RIDE) at the University of Turku and is one of the four co-PIs in the ERC Synergy Project Advancing Digital Democratic Innovation ADDI (2025-2031).
URL:https://brias.be/event/designing-democracy-thursday-seminar-bidf-andre-bachtiger-maija-setala/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270322T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270322T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121602Z
CREATED:20260724T121602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121602Z
UID:4299-1805707800-1805718600@brias.be
SUMMARY:Junior Scholar Event: Interdisciplinary Methodology Workshop Series on Democracy and Authoritarianism
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/junior-scholar-event-interdisciplinary-methodology-workshop-series-on-democracy-and-authoritarianism-3/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270325T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270325T140000
DTSTAMP:20260925T140533Z
CREATED:20260724T121602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T140533Z
UID:4300-1805976000-1805983200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Liza Mügge + BIFD Marija Radoman
DESCRIPTION:Masculine Power: Political Privilege and the Future of Democracy \nby Liza Mügge  \nPolitics is still shaped by masculine norms—often so familiar that they remain invisible. This talk explores how ideals of manhood influence who is heard\, how authority is performed\, and which forms of power are considered legitimate. At a time when far-right and anti-gender movements strategically mobilize masculinity\, understanding these dynamics is essential. Drawing on the concept of political masculinities\, the talk shows how gendered scripts structure political privilege\, exclusion\, and resistance—and why they matter for democracy. \nBio\nLiza Mügge is Professor in Politics of Diversity at the political science department of the University of Amsterdam. She leads several international research projects funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the European Commission (Horizon Europe) (see politicsofdiversity.eu). She is founding editor of the European Journal of Politics & Gender. \nDemocracy and LGBTIQ Rights in Southeast Europe \nby Marija Radoman \nThis talk examines the relationship between attitudes towards LGBTIQ rights and broader political values related to democracy and authoritarianism in Southeast Europe. Previous research has often found a connection between authoritarian attitudes and intolerance towards LGBTIQ people\, although the strength of this relationship vary across different contexts. The main focus of this analysis is to examine the extent to which attitudes towards LGBTIQ rights are associated with authoritarian political values at the individual level. The talk will draw on data from the European Social Survey\, including Round 11 (2023/24)\, reports by ILGA-Europe\, and an analysis of relevant social and political contexts. Particular attention will be paid to post-socialist societies\, with a comparative perspective on the region and Europe. The analysis also considers the growing use of LGBTIQ issues by illiberal and nationalist political parties to mobilise support. It takes into account the selective acceptance of LGBTIQ people\, including the particular exclusion of trans people\, their bodies\, and their visibility. Moving beyond the measurement of negative attitudes towards one marginalised group\, the talk explores what these attitudes reveal about wider political orientations\, the strengthening of right-wing trends in Europe\, and violence and stereotypes directed at LGBTIQ people. \nBio\nMarija Radoman is a PhD sociologist with over a decade of experience in gender and queer studies\, political values\, LGBTQ+ rights\, and research methodologies. Her academic work focuses on the intersections of social structures and individual experiences. She currently serves as a Research Associate at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade\, affiliated with the Institute for Sociological Research.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-bifd-liza-mugge-bifd-marija-radoman/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270405T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270405T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121616Z
CREATED:20260724T121616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121616Z
UID:4301-1806917400-1806928200@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-7/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270408T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270408T140000
DTSTAMP:20260925T140846Z
CREATED:20260724T121616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T140846Z
UID:4302-1807185600-1807192800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Jørgen Møller + Régis Dandoy
DESCRIPTION:The City Revisited: Urban Self-Government and European State Formation\nby Jørgen Møller \nThis lecture returns to a big\, classic question: the role of towns and cities in European state formation. In his posthumously published essay Die Stadt (The City)\, Max Weber placed the European city at the centre of European state formation. In recent years\, scholars have pursued several specific aspects of this relationship. However\, there has been no broad attempt to understand origins\, nor to analyse the consequences of urban self-government for state-building\, regime change\, and economic development and\, hence\, no attempt to appraise the wider importance of urban self-government for European state formation. Now is an auspicious time to embark on such a broad and ambitious research project. We have much better historical data than what was available to Weber; we have new methodological ways of interrogating these data; and we can draw insights from the broad\, specialized literature on urban self-government referenced above. This lecture\, which is based on a co-authored book (with Jonathan Doucette) currently under contract with OUP\, asks what\, on this basis\, we can say today about the origins\, development\, and consequences of self-governing cities in Europe? \nBio\nJørgen Møller has a PhD from the European University Institute\, Italy (2007) and is currently professor at the Department of Political Science\, Aarhus University\, Denmark and member of the Danish Royal Academy of Sciences. His research interests include processes of state formation\, dynamics of democratization and democratic stability\, and comparative methodology\, all in the intersection between history and politics.\nHis work has been published in journals such as American Journal of Political Science\, Journal of Politics\, Perspectives on Politics\, International Organization\, International Studies Quarterly\, Journal of Democracy\, and Sociological Methods & Research and in several books with Oxford University Press\, Cambridge University Press and Routledge. \nInsights from missions of election observation\nby Régis Dandoy \nInternational election observation has become a well-established norm since the early 1990s. Yet the practice now faces two converging challenges. The first is technological. Methodologies designed for paper-based voting are increasingly out of step with biometric registration\, electronic and Internet voting\, and automated results systems that are often opaque\, leaving observers unable to directly inspect an election’s core mechanics. Generative AI compounds this\, flooding campaigns with synthetic media that spreads faster than it can be verified. The second is the deliberate exploitation of observation’s credibility by authoritarian regimes\, which increasingly comply with the norm not to improve integrity but to capture the legitimacy genuine observation confers. This seminar examines “fake” or politically biased observation\, i.e. missions that mimic credible monitoring while lacking independence and rigor\, issuing favorable assessments despite documented irregularities to neutralize credible findings. Drawing on field experience and documented cases\, this seminar offers a comparative perspective on both fronts: where observation methodologies have adapted to technological disruption and where structural constraints such as fake observation strategies limit that adaptation. It closes by outlining what a technology-literate methodology and effective verification mechanisms would require to meet both challenges. \nBio\nRégis Dandoy is professor of comparative politics and director for the Centre for European Studies at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador). He is also associate researcher at Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)\, Waseda University (Japan) and the United Nations University. He holds a Jean Monnet chair on the European Union election observation missions and he participated to around twenty international election observation missions as an electoral expert\, primarily in Latin America. His main research interests and publications focus on digital democracy\, subnational elections\, electronic voting and election observation.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-bifd-jorgen-moller-regis-dandoy/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270412T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270412T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121617Z
CREATED:20260724T121617Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121617Z
UID:4303-1807522200-1807533000@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-8/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270415T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270415T180000
DTSTAMP:20260930T130443Z
CREATED:20260724T121617Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260930T130443Z
UID:4304-1807779600-1807812000@brias.be
SUMMARY:Workshop: Democratic Leadership
DESCRIPTION:Democratic Leadership\nMore Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/workshop-democratic-leadership-thursday-seminar-bifd-michael-saward/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
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