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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:20261021T095037Z
CREATED:20260724T121547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261021T095037Z
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 institutions are under strain. The bond between citizens and political institutions has significantly frayed\, and parliaments\, long positioned as the institutional heart of representative democracy\, find themselves at the center of this legitimacy crisis. This book asks whether they can be part of the solution. Can parliaments deliver on their commitments to openness and public engagement? Do their efforts live up to their promises\, or do they amount to symbolic transformation without structural change? \nOpen Parliaments makes no prior assumption that they can. Instead\, it asks how\, where\, when\, and to what extent parliaments deliver on their promise to open up\, and who can access and participate in these newly opened spaces. To answer these questions\, the analysis draws on a comparative study of twenty-one European parliaments and two in-depth case studies\, Austria and France\, where novel institutional engagement practices have been embedded in parliamentary life. \nThis book reveals empirically how legislative institutions have achieved only a narrow openness: doors technically unlocked but never truly open\, information formally disclosed\, participation nominally possible. Yet this openness proves neither accessible nor inclusive. Content remains difficult to read and navigate for ordinary citizens\, participatory instruments are not designed nor equipped to make participation consequential\, and engagement consistently skews toward those already proximate to power. Caught between the temptations of engagement myopia and magical thinking\, parliaments offer citizens a performance of openness rather than its substance. \nBio\nSofia Serra-Silva is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences\, University of Lisbon. She holds a PhD in Comparative Politics (2020)\, and her research examines how political institutions and citizens engage within the contemporary globalized digital landscape. Her work has been published in leading journals including Party Politics\, Policy & Internet\, Parliamentary Affairs\, Journal of Legislative Studies\, South European Society and Politics\, European Politics & Society\, and Mediterranean Politics\, among other outlets. She is currently Principal Investigator (PI) of the FCT-funded project Bridging the Gap: A New Approach to Understanding Citizen Attitudes and Perceptions Towards the Portuguese Parliament (ref. 2023.12063.PEX). \nDemocratic weaponizing: the challenge of the contemporary radical right\nby Oscar Mazzoleni \nFor most of the twentieth century\, the enemies of democracy were easy to recognize: fascist and authoritarian movements openly sought to abolish parliaments\, elections and individual rights. The radical right of the twenty-first century doesn’t reject democracy. It weaponizes it. As scholars have pointed out\, it turns democratic institutions\, procedures and core concepts (tolerance\, equality\, solidarity\, freedom and democracy itself) against the pluralist and universalist substance they were meant to protect. The words stay the same\, but their content is replaced. So far\, though\, this literature has judged the radical right almost entirely against participatory or procedural-liberal ideas of democracy\, asking whether it is a corrective or a threat. This lecture argues that this framing is important but misses the socio-economic component. Research shows that a significant part of the European and American public defines democracy as including material security and social rights (e.g. Davis\, Gaddie and Goidel 2022). Taking this public view seriously means that labor-market protection\, welfare chauvinism and immigration aren’t just policy issues. They’re contested parts of what democracy is represented\, and this is where actors of radical right achieve better support. \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:20261014T121627Z
CREATED:20260909T113034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T121627Z
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 \nThis project investigates whether citizens prefer democracies as allies and whether they regard democratic institutions as a signal of alliance reliability. To test these expectations\, I field preregistered conjoint experiments on over 8\,000 respondents in the United States\, Germany\, Japan\, South Korea\, and Turkey\, and additional surveys are planned for three more countries. In the experiments\, respondents choose between hypothetical allies that vary in electoral competition\, executive constraints\, press freedom\, membership in international organizations\, military power\, economic size\, and religion. The results show that publics in all five countries prefer allies that have democratic attributes. Among the various democratic regime components\, citizens are most sensitive to electoral competition\, as fully competitive democracies receive substantially stronger support than partners with limited competition. Independent media\, constraints on the executive\, and extensive membership in international organizations also make an ally considerably more attractive. Democratic attributes raise reliability expectations and\, to a lesser extent\, perceptions of the ally’s international standing\, both of which partly account for this democratic premium. Further analyses reveal that the democratic ally preference is particularly pronounced among citizens who value democracy and weaker among isolationists. The results also reveal\, however\, that religious affiliation remains a core\, and in some contexts the primary\, factor in alliance preferences. \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:20261014T121711Z
CREATED:20260909T113211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T121711Z
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.\n“`
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:20261014T121753Z
CREATED:20260909T113535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T121753Z
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 analyzes 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 U.S.–South Korea and China-North Korea alliances and their intra-alliance relations.\n“`
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:20261015T133647Z
CREATED:20260724T121601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261015T133647Z
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. Viewed 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 reflect on modern social movements 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 advancing 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.
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:20261014T121925Z
CREATED:20260724T121601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T121925Z
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 as 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 theorist 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:20261015T141130Z
CREATED:20260724T121602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261015T141130Z
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 varies 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
END:VEVENT
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270408T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270408T140000
DTSTAMP:20261014T122103Z
CREATED:20260724T121616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T122103Z
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 in 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
END:VEVENT
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:20261021T095431Z
CREATED:20260724T121617Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261021T095431Z
UID:4304-1807779600-1807812000@brias.be
SUMMARY:Workshop: Democratic Leadership + Christoph Niessen
DESCRIPTION:Worskshop: Democratic Leadership\nMore Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content. \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/workshop-democratic-leadership-christoph-niessen/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270419T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270419T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121617Z
CREATED:20260724T121617Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121617Z
UID:4305-1808127000-1808137800@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-9/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270421T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270421T170000
DTSTAMP:20261014T122136Z
CREATED:20260930T130354Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T122136Z
UID:4566-1808319600-1808326800@brias.be
SUMMARY:BIFD and Francqui Inaugural Lecture Michael Saward
DESCRIPTION:The Representative is Present: Power\, Politics and Democracy in The Square\nby Michael Saward \nAcross a range of countries\, a resurgent far right is targeting many values and markers of contemporary democracy (or at least\, liberal democracy). Some opponents of democratic erosion or backsliding argue that democracy must become something it has not yet been to do the work of equality\, freedom and empowerment that is demanded of it; it must be deepened\, extended\, transformed. Central to this thinking is the need to bring power closer to the people\, to increase trust and legitimacy in democratic ideas and institutions. We need\, so it is argued\, more proximity\, co-creation\, deliberation and connection between representatives and the represented\, perhaps even in ways that destabilize that very distinction. To explore this conjecture in stark terms\, the lecture takes us to The Square – a place of face-to-face encounter (or co-presence) where representation meets participation\, government meets citizen\, and roles and identities are contested and negotiated. In The Square\, the representative is present\, and relations of power are performed amid more fluid and dynamic sense of time\, space\, and material. Can exploring The Square – across a range of real-world and hypothetical examples – sharpen our thinking and open doors to new modes of democratic transformation? \nBio\nMichael Saward is Emeritus Professor at the University of Warwick. A democratic theorist\, he is author of The Representative Claim (Oxford UP 2010)\, Making Representations (ECPR Press and Rowman and Littlefield 2020) and Democratic Design (Oxford UP 2021). In recent years he has been a visiting scholar at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México\, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil)\, and Australian National University. International collaborations have in 2024 produced two new volumes: Claiming and Contesting Representation in Mexico: Meanings\, Practices and Settings (edited by F. Castanos\, S. Inclan and M. Saward) (Bristol: Bristol University Press 2024); and Bodies\, Spaces\, Claims: The Theory and Practice of Performing Political Representation (edited by P. Diehl and M. Saward) (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2024). Along with Shirin Rai (SOAS) and Warwick Theatre and Performance colleagues Silvija.
URL:https://brias.be/event/bifd-and-francqui-inaugural-lecture-michael-saward/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270422T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270422T140000
DTSTAMP:20261016T100526Z
CREATED:20260724T121631Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261016T100526Z
UID:4306-1808395200-1808402400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Tània Verge + BIFD Ekaterina Rashkova
DESCRIPTION:Challenging Patriarchy while Countering the Far Right: The Case for Feminist Policies for Men\nby Tània Verge \nGender equality policies have historically focused on women\, for good reason: gender structures inequalities and power relations that systematically advantage men. When addressing men\, gender equality policies have tended to approach them primarily as agents of change\, exhorting them to become allies or equality ambassadors\, embrace care\, reject violence\, and\, more generally\, adopt more egalitarian masculinities. Yet such approaches have clear limitations. Attitudes are unlikely to change simply because policy targets attitudes directly\, particularly in an increasingly reactionary political context. \nThis lecture makes the case for feminist policies for men\, without embracing narratives of male victimhood. By feminist policies for men\, I mean policies that address the gendered conditions shaping men’s lives\, ranging from educational underachievement and the marked underrepresentation in care professions to specific health risks or the invisibility of male victims of sexual violence. Acknowledging men’s structural privilege does not preclude recognising situated disadvantages affecting men and boys\, nor addressing them through concrete policy measures\, including positive action. \nRather than seeking to transform masculinities primarily through interventions aimed at changing attitudes\, feminist policies for men should intervene in the material and institutional conditions through which attitudes\, behaviours and gender relations are (re)produced\, thereby bearing more potential for structural transformation. In doing so\, feminist policy can challenge patriarchy while also contesting anti-feminist and far-right actors who turn men’s (gendered) problems into grievances against women\, feminism and LGBTIQ+ people. \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. \nHer 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. \nExclusive Democracy? The Role of Political Parties in Mobilizing the Migrant Vote\nby Ekaterina Rashkova \nLiving in an era of mass movement of people – over 300 million people reside elsewhere than their country of birth – it is pertinent to re-address the issues of political participation and representation. Political parties\, which originated as the main linking pins between people and government\, have largely operated within national grounds. Often\, we refer to that link as the one between citizens and government. Yet\, in a world of global migration we can no longer think in terms of citizens since with immigrants and emigrants\, the electorate has changed beyond nationality and national boundaries. Recent work (e.g. Rashkova and van der Staak 2019) shows that many national parties now engage with their diaspora abroad and claim that migrants’ relationship with the receiving state affects their political participation at home (e.g. Chaudary 2018\, Finn 2020). At the same time\, the evidence on why some parties engage with diaspora while others do not is mixed (e.g. Piccio 2020\, Kernalegen and Van Haute 2020). The intention of this talk is to present a snapshot of a research agenda that aims to 1) draw attention to a budding issue of a changing model of representation\, 2) provide a brief account of how theoretically political parties respond to migration\, and 3) set the scene for a larger scholarly debate on the changing nature of representation due to the changing role and needs of civil society around the globe. \nBio\nEkaterina R. Rashkova is a comparative political scientist with expertise on party competition\, gender and migrant politics\, and representation. Her research interests lie in understanding the behaviour of political actors and the strategies they employ\, given the institutional framework and the societal pressure they operate in. Currently\, she is working on the representation of migrants and the party abroad. The political integration of non-citizen residents in host countries\, as well as the connection of national political parties to their diaspora abroad. Her work often compares new and established democracies and has appeared among others in Comparative European Politics\, West European Politics\, European Political Science Review\, International Political Science Review\, Party Politics\, and Political Studies as well as in several edited book volumes.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-bifd-ekaterina-rashkova-bifd-tania-verge/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270503T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270503T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121631Z
CREATED:20260724T121631Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121631Z
UID:4307-1809336600-1809347400@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-10/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270505T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270505T180000
DTSTAMP:20261021T130051Z
CREATED:20260724T121631Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261021T130051Z
UID:4308-1809507600-1809540000@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Théo Aiolfi + Anyuta Snauwaert
DESCRIPTION:The Art of the Breach: Populism\, Transgression and Performances the People\nby Théo Aiolfi \nIn an era marked by a widespread distrust towards parties and established political figures\, where neoliberalism’s hegemony has prevented the rise of radical challenges to the status quo\, claiming the mantle of the struggle of the people against the elite has never been more appealing for political actors. In this talk that is grounded in critical populism studies and performance studies\, I will introduce the notion of populism as both style and aesthetics\, a repertoire of symbolic practices that constructs the people through its embodiment in the performances of the political leader. \nAt the core of populism lies what I will describe in this talk as the “art of the breach”: the deliberate transgression of political and social norms. Breaking norms – whether it is in the way one talks\, acts or shares ideas – is a powerful way to challenge the status quo\, stand out from other politicians and create a memorable persona. However\, being transgressive does not necessarily mean being subversive\, and transgression is a high-wire act for politicians who choose to embrace it. Pushed too far\, it can alienate mainstream voters and invite backlash; reined in too much\, it risks looking exactly like the establishment politics it claims to reject. This talk will invite its audience to consider the central role of transgression in our current political scene\, and the question it raises about representative democracy. \nBio\nThéo Aiolfi is a junior professor at the Université Bourgogne Europe\, as part of the Centre Interlangues Texte\, Image\, Langage (TIL). His interdisciplinary research is located at the intersection of political science\, communication and performance studies. His research interests include populism\, performativity\, style and politics as performance\, with a focus on far-right politics and political leadership.\nHe is one of the convenors of the Populism Specialist Group\, one of the largest groups within the Political Studies Association in the United Kingdom and a major platform for critical studies on populism. He is also a member of several international research networks\, including the Reactionary Politics Network\, [Democracy\, Signification and Resistance (DESIRE)]\, the Warwick Performance and Politics Network and the International Populism Research Network. \nTitle TBC\nby Anyuta Snauwaert
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-bifd-theo-aiolfi-anyuta-snauwaert/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270510T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270510T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121632Z
CREATED:20260724T121632Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121632Z
UID:4309-1809941400-1809952200@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-11/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270513T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270513T180000
DTSTAMP:20260909T114001Z
CREATED:20260724T121632Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260909T114001Z
UID:4310-1810198800-1810231200@brias.be
SUMMARY:PPDB workshop: Political Parties and Democratic Governance
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/ppdb-workshop/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270513T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270513T140000
DTSTAMP:20261021T130450Z
CREATED:20260724T121646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261021T130450Z
UID:4311-1810209600-1810216800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Susan Scarrow
DESCRIPTION:The changing landscape of party politics: a view from 5 continents\nby Susan Scarrow \nAround the world the landscape of party politics seems to be in constant flux\, with established parties and party practices being challenged by changing political demands and by changing technologies that facilitate the success of new parties and of non-party political action.  In response\, parties themselves are changing\, including by publicizing new initiatives to strengthen citizen-party ties. But how much of this is hype and how much has substance?  This talk investigates the extent and potential impact of recent developments in the context and conduct of party politics\, using data from the newly completed Wave 3 of the Political Party Database to trace changing party practices. \nBio\nDr. Susan Scarrow is Moores Chair Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston. She has published widely on how political parties and political finance rules affect political participation and citizens’ attitudes towards politics. Her books include Beyond Party Members and Organizing Political Parties: Representation\, Participation\, and Power (co-editor). She is a founding co-director of the Political Party Database Project\, a global consortium of scholars studying political party development.
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminar-bidf-susan-scarrow/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270520T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270520T140000
DTSTAMP:20261021T134511Z
CREATED:20260724T121646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261021T134511Z
UID:4312-1810814400-1810821600@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday seminar: BIFD Sandrine Baume + BIFD Cristina Leston-Bandeira
DESCRIPTION:The Paradox of Militant Democracy Through the Lens of Dirty Hands\nby Sandrine Baume \nThe idea that democracy may need to protect itself against actors seeking to undermine it from within lies at the heart of militant democracy. Yet militant democracy raises a fundamental normative problem: how can democracies defend themselves against forces exploiting democratic rights for antidemocratic purposes without themselves violating those rights? This tension has been described as the “paradox of democratic self-injury.” Existing scholarship has generally adopted two contrasting positions. Some regard the paradox as insurmountable and therefore reject militant measures as incompatible with democratic principles. Others consider it surmountable\, apparent\, or essentially pragmatic\, and argue that suitably constrained militant measures can be justified. \nThis paper develops a third approach by interpreting the paradox of democratic self-injury as a “dirty hands” scenario. Such scenarios involve genuine moral conflicts in which competing values cannot be fully reconciled. Militant democracy\, we argue\, confronts democracies with a conflict between political self-determination\, requiring free political competition\, and the preservation of stable democratic institutions\, which may require restricting that competition. This perspective acknowledges the genuine moral costs of militant measures while allowing for their qualified justification. It also implies that such measures require compelling evidence of a serious threat to democratic institutions and must remain sensitive to the moral risks inherent in defending democracy. \nBio\nSandrine Baume is a Full Professor at the University of Lausanne. Her research lies at the intersection of democratic theory and the history of political thought. She has focused in particular on institutions (such as constitutional courts)\, key actors (such as political parties)\, principles (including transparency and democratic self-defence)\, and practices (such as political compromise). Her extensive knowledge of legal scholars from the Weimar Republic has played apivotal role in shaping her research and publications.\nMore recently\, she has broadened her research to examine the political competence of people with intellectual disabilities\, with particular attention to the role that the concept of autonomy plays in this debate. \nPutting citizens at the heart of parliaments\nby Cristina Leston-Bandeira \nAre parliaments at risk of becoming irrelevant to our democratic political systems? Trust in parliament has been in acute decline for some time and decision-making power has decisively shifted to executive institutions\, if not to supra-national private commercial companies with far more power political institutions. In increasingly complex societies where information is characterised by noise and polarisation\, political institutions struggle to communicate with the people they are accountable to. In all likelihood\, parliaments are invisible to the vast majority of people; either because they cannot dissociate them from governments and/or politicians in general\, or simply because they really do not feature in their day-to-day life. In this talk I will reflect on the practical challenges that parliaments encounter to keep their relevance to people. This will include a reflection on the core characteristics of the institution of parliament which makes them destined to be unloved. I will review how parliaments have reacted to this so-called crisis of democracy. This will show the wide range of initiatives that parliaments have introduced particularly since the turn of the 21st century. I will reflect on the effectiveness of these and on the characteristics that hinder parliaments’ ability to connect and engage citizens meaningfully. \nBio\nCristina Leston-Bandeira is Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds\, UK\, and Co-Director of its Centre for Democratic Politics. Professor Leston-Bandeira has been instrumental in promoting research on the relationship between parliaments and citizens. Her pioneering work on symbolic representation and the way it facilitates public engagement has profoundly shaped the subfield of parliamentary research in the UK and beyond. The author of over 70 publications\, Cristina has recently co-edited the highly innovative ‘Reimagining Parliament\,’ which asks what Parliament should be in the 21st century and offers wide ranging suggestions for parliamentary reform. Leston-Bandeira was Chair (2020-26) and co-founder of the pioneering International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN)\, having broken new ground as the first female academic Chair of the UK Study of Parliament Group (2019-22). 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-seminar-bifd-sandrine-baume-bifd-cristina-leston-bandeira/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270524T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270524T123000
DTSTAMP:20260724T121646Z
CREATED:20260724T121646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T121646Z
UID:4313-1811151000-1811161800@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-12/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270525T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270525T180000
DTSTAMP:20261021T134702Z
CREATED:20260724T121647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261021T134702Z
UID:4314-1811235600-1811268000@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Thursday Seminars: BIFD Alice Poma + BIFD Nana Akua Anyidoho
DESCRIPTION:The role of emotions in building sustainable societies\nby Alice Poma \nAddressing the climate and socio-environmental crisis requires not only regulatory and structural reforms\, but also a profound cultural transformation capable of rethinking humanity’s place on the planet. Decarbonising the economy may help mitigate the effects of climate change\, but it does not address climate injustice and may even exacerbate it through mechanisms such as carbon markets and large-scale renewable energy projects promoted by corporations. A way to achieve a cultural change is challenging the capitalist emotional culture\, which promotes indifference towards socio-environmental and climate crises\, loyalty and trust in corporations\, and resignation to the belief that no alternatives to their system exist. In contrast\, activism can promote and enact an alternative emotional culture\, in which emotions and feeling rules associated with a desired future are reclaimed — what may be described as a prefigurative emotional culture (Poma\, 2026). In this talk I will present how the construction of a sustainable emotional culture could be a first step for building sustainable societies\, and how this can help prevent resignation. \nBio\nAlice Poma is a full-time researcher at the Institute of Social Research\, National Autonomous University of Mexico (Spanish: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México\, UNAM). Poma carries out research in Emotions and Social Movements\, currently around the emotional response to climate change in activists and non-activists.\nHer work on the emotional dimension of activism has focused on understanding the impact of emotions at various stages of mobilization and on social and cultural change. Her latest book\, “Llevamos un mundo nuevo en nuestros corazones: Una guía para construir una cultura emocional prefigurativa” (We Carry a New World in Our Hearts: A Guide to Building a Prefigurative Emotional Culture) (UNAM\, 2026)\, demonstrates how emotions—as sociocultural constructs—are central to building the counter-hegemonic culture needed to create another world. \nTitle TBC\nby Nana Akua Anyidoho \nBio\nNana Akua Anyidoho is a researcher in social policy and social development at the University of Ghana. She is interested in the ways in which marginalized social groups (in particular\, young people and women) navigate unfavourable policy structures in their struggles for social and economic rights. Her research focuses on higher education policy\, youth and women’s employment\, with emphasis on themes of agency\, participation and inclusion.
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-thursday-seminars-bifd-alice-poma-bifd-nana-akua-anyidoho/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270527T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20270527T180000
DTSTAMP:20260909T114019Z
CREATED:20260724T121647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260909T114019Z
UID:4315-1811408400-1811440800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Forum: Cities and Democracy: Cities as Democratic Enclaves + Closing Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:More Details TBD soon. This event may be subject to modifications in schedule and content.
URL:https://brias.be/event/forum-cities-and-democracy-closing-ceremony/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR