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Alle locaties SPUI25 Online Rialto Posthoornkerk Paradiso Odeonzaal Amsterdamse Academische Club (AAC) Doelenzaal Nationale Opera & Ballet De Brug (Roeterseiland) De Duif De Brakke Grond Binnengasthuisstraat 9 Aula Roeterseiland Nationale Opera & Ballet, Odeonzaal Singelkerk OBA Theater Vondelkerk Agnietenkapel

19 04 23

Digital Childhoods: Learning Within New Media

How do digital media impact children’s experiences and learning? What is at stake when apps, robots, voice assistants and the so-called internet of toys are used by children? What role do big tech companies play in this critical period of life? With the help of experts in linguistics, communications, media studies, and cognitive science, this thought-provoking roundtable explores challenges and opportunities that digital technologies pose to bringing up children today.

18 04 23

Climate Change and Academia: What Role to Play?

What is the role of academics in confronting the climate crisis? Do academics have a special responsibility to get involved in climate justice activism? During this panel discussion, Gerrit Schaafsma discusses the subject with the academics Harriët Bergman, Thomas Wells, Anne Kervers, Christel van Eck and Marthe Wens.

17 04 23

Beter denken met Marcus du Sautoy

Wiskunde als kunst van de shortcut

In zijn nieuwe boek Beter denken introduceert Marcus du Sautoy de wiskunde als kunst van de shortcut. Aan de hand van verhalen, raadsels en puzzels verhaalt hij over zowel shortcuts waardoor de menselijke beschaving mogelijk werd, als handige shortcuts die ons dagelijks leven makkelijker maken. Vanavond presenteert Du Sautoy deze ingenieuze strategieën, waarna hij in gesprek gaat met Desiree Agterberg.

13 04 23

Female rewritings of ancient myths

The End of the Silence of the Girls

Unlike holy texts such as the Bible, Greek myths have always been extremely flexible and open to all kinds of rewriting. Recent years have witnessed a notable surge of rewritings of female characters, largely by female authors. Scholar Jacqueline Klooster and author Natalie Haynes will jointly reflect on this phenomenon.

05 04 23

Christoph Menke in dialogue with Beate Roessler and Titus Stahl

What is Liberation?

In his latest book A Theory of Liberation (Suhrkamp, 2022), German philosopher Christoph Menke claims that we live in a time of failed liberations: Sooner or later, all attempts at liberation have produced new forms of domination and thus of servitude. Tonight, Menke discusses this topic with philosophers Titus Stahl and Beate Roessler.

29 03 23

Navigating between nostalgic nativism and hopeful liberalism

Promises and Pitfalls of Liberalism

Liberalism has been much maligned in the last decade for its failure to provide people with a sense of collective identity and meaning. But for many people, liberal ideas themselves provide this meaning. In this interdisciplinary exchange, two books are discussed that, respectively, explore the extraordinary rise of nativism in liberal societies, and the possibilities for revivifying liberal ideals in a changing world.

27 03 23

Politics of Corruption and the Earthquake in Turkey, Syria, and Kurdistan

The two disastrous earthquakes that struck Turkey, Syria, and Kurdistan on February 6 were not isolated incidents. It is clear that this was not simply a natural disaster, but a catastrophe created by corruption, the erosion of institutions and politicization of disaster prevention. The inadequacy of mitigation measures, failure to implement regulations for safe urban planning, fraudulent construction practices, and lack of investments on emergency response made a preventable destruction inevitable.

23 03 23

The Geopolitics of Foreign Technologies

Europe and the Technologies of ‘Others’

In this edition of the ‘Europe and the Geopolitics of Technology’ series, experts scrutinize various urgent questions of European technology regulation. When does foreign innovation become a threat, and how do European technology regulators and publics imagine and differentiate sovereign spaces and practices of technology regulation and application? How do practices of various technology actors (private and public) produce security and sovereignty in Europe, China, Russia and beyond? And how are these spaces, digital infrastructures and practices mutually imagined, othered, and (self-)orientalized?

23 03 23

Op de bres voor Europa

Alles wat we in Europa hebben bereikt, staat nu op het spel. Dat is de strekking van het nieuwe boek van Timothy Garton Ash: Europa. Het is een persoonlijke geschiedenis van een periode van ongekende vooruitgang en een getuigenis van wat er is misgegaan: van de financiële crisis van 2008 tot de oorlog in Oekraïne. Ter gelegenheid van de Nederlandse vertaling gaat Garton Ash in gesprek met Caroline de Gruyter en Geert Mak. Moderatie: Tamar de Waal.

23 03 23

The Last Ghetto: An Everyday History of Theresienstadt

In the celebrated book The Last Ghetto, Anna Hájková, provides an in-depth analytical history of a prison society during the Holocaust. During this event, Laurien Vastenhout and Geraldien von Frijtag Drabbe Kunzel will have a conversation with Hájková about the importance of her work and some of the main themes it addresses. These include life inside the camp, Jewish agency, and gender.

09 03 23

Hybrid Tactics in the Crisis Era

In-Between Media

The Covid pandemic has catalyzed experimental approaches to hybrid cultural programming and togetherness, mixing online, offline, and everything in-between. How can we translate the lessons learned into ways of dealing with post-pandemic urgencies? Can we use hybrid tactics in response to violent displacement, physical impairments, and the war in Ukraine? What kind of tactical media can exist within these (new) digital spaces, and which potential for resistance do they have? Data and information used as a tool for power might not be new, but some of the strategies being looked at in this conference—hopefully—are.

08 03 23

The Future of Global Workers in the Platform Age

For marginalized laborers in the Global South, the future of work is already here—from youth gaining new freedom through the creator economy to algorithmically exploited gig workers. Authors from the new book Feminist Futures of Work: Reimagining Labour in the Digital Economy (eds. Payal Arora, Usha Raman & René König) and beyond engage with this fast-moving market and discuss how we can reshape work platforms to be fair and inclusive.

23 02 23

Michel Krielaars in conversation with Bernard Wasserstein

A Small Town in Ukraine

The historian Bernard Wasserstein set out to uncover the hidden past of the town forty miles west of Lviv where his family originated: Krakowiec. This evening, on the occasion of the book launch of A Small Town in Ukraine, he recounts its dramatic and traumatic history. ‘I want to observe and understand how some of the great forces that determined the shape of our times affected ordinary people.’ Wasserstein will talk about his new book and engage in a conversation with Michel Krielaars.

14 02 23

Book launch

The Politics of Platformization

What is platformization and why is it a relevant category in the contemporary political landscape? How is it related to cybernetics and the history of computation? During this event, interviewees of the recently published The Politics of Platformization: Amsterdam Dialogues on Platform Theory join editor Gianmarco Cristofari in conversation.

08 02 23

Politics of (Dis)Connection

The possible establishment of a sovereign internet in Russia, European initiatives on ‘Digital Sovereignty’, and the conflict between China and the United States over Huawei equipment are rekindling the discussion on splinternets and the limits to global interconnectivity.

08 02 23

Post-Growth Planning: Cities Beyond the Market Economy

Cities cover just 2% of the planet’s surface but consume 75% of all the materials and energy worldwide. In 2050, planetary urbanization will demand ten times more materials, water, and energy than today. This is seriously undermining any possibility to halt climate breakdown. In this event, we will analyse how a degrowth agenda for cities might be the answer to this urgent issue.

26 01 23

The Making of Democracy in Western Europe after 1945

The Certainties of the Past?

Democracy has a long history; or, perhaps more exactly, it has a long past. The electoral and political volatility which has been evident in Europe during the first two decades of the twenty-first century has created a widespread sense that a past era of democratic certainties has ended. That generates civic and intellectual challenges for our present era. But it also enables us to reassess the supposed certainties of past history. How far can we still regard the history of Western Europe in the second half of the century as a democratic era? Or should we now see it as a similar era of political uncertainties?

26 01 23

Science for All: the 2023 OSCAwards

Do you think a transparent research culture is important? Do you get enthusiastic about engaging society in science? Do you want to know more about open education, open data and open access? Join us for the Open Science Community Amsterdam Awards and learn about which projects are currently contributing to Open Science in Amsterdam.

25 01 23

On the long-term health effects of war and humanitarian crises

The Holodomor and Health Heritage

Russia’s deliberate war strategy in Ukraine has disrupted agriculture and food storage and distribution systems to hinder food supplies to the population. The war has created an immediate health and humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions inside and outside Ukraine. Furthermore, research on past wars and conflicts points out that the current crisis could have long-term health repercussions. Tonight, experts will discuss this “health heritage” by taking the case study of the Holodomor, the 1932-1934 period of extreme famine in Soviet Ukraine.

20 01 23

The Law, Politics and Practice of Delegated Rulemaking in the European Union

In this one-day workshop we aim to rekindle the tripartite dialogue on the topic of delegated rulemaking in the European Union (‘EU’) among legal scholars, political scientists and policymakers through the lenses of law, political science and institutional practice.

12 01 23

The Hohenzollern Debate: The German Royal Family and the Nazis

In Germany, a fierce debate has recently developed on the links between the old royal family Hohenzollern and the Nazis. This issue was raised after the Hohenzollern had claimed restitution from the state for the Soviet expropriations of their property after 1945. In order to get approval for its claim, the Hohenzollern family has to prove that their ancestors did not substantially support the Nazis in their rise to power. In the ensuing legal proceedings and public discussion over this issue historians have become sought-after experts and important witnesses. Stephan Malinowski is one of them.

09 01 23

Societal Challenges, Global Mental Health and Humane AI

At this year’s Dies Natalis of the University of Amsterdam, Professor dr. Vikram Patel (Harvard University) and Prof. dr. Chris Manning (Stanford University) will be awarded Honorary Doctorates. During this symposium, a panel of expert speakers will join our honorees to discuss pertinent topics within the fields of mental health and the use of artificial intelligence on a global scale.

14 12 22

Infrastructural Distortion and Possession

Global internet infrastructure is increasingly becoming part of geopolitical conflicts. However, politics have always been an inherent part of communication infrastructures. One could even argue that the internet infrastructure has been a field of reconfiguration of global power for decades, we just failed to see it.

13 12 22

Secrets of the Sea in Times of Climate Breakdown

Despite its many secrets and wonders, oceans have been under threat for years. Corals are dying and sea life is disappearing. Although this is a global phenomenon, some people are affected more than others—and as with many a climate issue, these inequalities bear witness of the afterlife of (post)colonialism. In this talk, we shed light on the ambiguous nature of marine protection and the colonial dimensions of ocean health.

08 12 22

Transnationalizing the History of Germany’s First Democracy

Weimar Between East and West

For a long time, research on the Weimar Republic has implicitly assumed a comparison with Western European (liberal) democracy. More recent research emphasizes that the Weimar Republic should also and even especially be understood in the context of Central and Eastern European democracies. In this lecture, historian Thomas Mergel argues for a much broader, transnational perspective on the Weimar Republic.

29 11 22

Over een verleden van dynastieën

De harten van de wereldgeschiedenis

Historicus Simon Sebag Montefiore spreekt aan de hand van zijn nieuwe boek De wereld over een nieuw soort wereldgeschiedenis; van de Inca’s en de Ottomanen, tot de Habsburgers en de Kennedy’s. Voor Montefiore vormen deze machtige dynastieën een mondiale geschiedenis die alle tijdperken en continenten overspant en waarin familiebanden centraal staan.

25 11 22

Ukraine’s Strategic Choices and Future Geopolitics

On November 25 it will be nine months since the beginning of Putin’s three-day blitzkrieg. Ukraine is resolutely holding out and showing notable progress in repelling the aggressor. Having failed on the battlefield with its army largely degraded and in rout, the Russian regime has doubled down on missile and drone attacks on the energy grid, and resorted to a nuclear blackmail aiming to undermine Ukraine’s will to resist and the Western resolve to support Ukraine in its fight for freedom. During this event, Professor Oleksandr Bogomolov will present the Ukrainian perspective on the current situation and various future scenarios.

23 11 22

Politics of (Dis)Connection

15 11 22

The Personalization of Politics in the European Union

The personalization of politics, whereby politicians increasingly become the main focus of political processes, is a prominent phenomenon in modern democracies that has received considerable scholarly attention in national politics. However, little is known about the scope, causes and consequences of personalization in European Union politics. In her new book, Katjana Gattermann studies the interplay between four key dimensions of personalization concerning institutions, media, politicians, and citizens in EU politics, and, at this book launch, she and her fellow speakers will discuss how her findings have important implications for the future of personalized politics in the European Union.

11 11 22

Memetic Tacticality Conference

Memes Beyond Images

The (political) power of memes has moved beyond virtual images. The distinction between the virtual and “real life” no longer applies, or perhaps was never really there. Their effects (or should we say affects) are moving through digital infrastructures, policy, regulations and bodies. If memes are used as a tool by the alt-right to mobilize people to storm the Capitol and play a substantial role in the Ukrainian war, can they also be used by the left to spark a revolution, as memetic warfare is more immediate and accessible than real-life demonstrations? What kind of labor would that require? What kind of tools and principles would we need? And what if memetic logics of spreading information were applied to spread progressive ideas for a possible future?

10 11 22

Isaac Roet Prize

Empowering Young People

Every year the Isaac Roet Prize is awarded to a young researcher who offers a solution to a social problem and thereby contributes to a better world. In this event, we present the first two projects that received this prize. Francesca Ranalli helps teenagers build places in their neighbourhoods that make them feel at home. And Anna Bosshard, the winner of 2022, motivates young residents of Amsterdam to reduce their clothing consumption.

09 11 22

From Kandahar to Mazar

Afghanistan: A Year Later

In August 2021, the United States withdrew its last troops from Afghanistan ending its intervention of 20 years. What does the sudden change of power mean for the security in the country or access to education? How does the situation look like on the ground? And how can the Netherlands and the European Union remain involved in Afghanistan? Robbert van Lanschot and Wais Sediq will join in a conversation.

09 11 22

Party Lines, Counterpropositions and (Post-)Socialist Spaces

Collectivities Otherwise

Picking up on a series of conversations spanning Kassel and Amsterdam around the recent documenta fifteen, Collectivities Otherwise is presented on the anniversary of the opening of the so-called Iron Curtain. We explore collectivity in this historical context and in critical relation to media technologies and socialist memory / memories of former East Germany, post-socialist Europe and Central Asia.

08 11 22

SPUI25-jubileumlezing door Andrea Wulf

Rebelse genieën

Individualisme, zelfbeschikking, vrijheid: het zijn centrale begrippen in onze maatschappij. Toch waren deze ideeën lange tijd niet vanzelfsprekend. Speciaal voor het 15-jarig jubileum van SPUI25 komt Andrea Wulf naar Amsterdam om te spreken over de wervelende geschiedenis van de eerste romantici en de uitvinding van het ‘zelf’, neergeschreven in haar nieuwe boek Rebelse Genieën.

07 11 22

The Role of Russian Investigative Journalism in Today’s Society

In this event, prominent Russian investigative journalist Roman Anin (iStories) will comment on the war in Ukraine, mobilisation in Russia, Kremlin’s elites and the importance of investigative journalism and free press for Russia. Roman has a unique perspective into the mindset of Putin through a series of investigations.

04 11 22

How We Grow the World We Want

Viral Justice

Long before the pandemic, Ruha Benjamin was doing groundbreaking research on race, technology, and justice, focusing on big, structural changes. But the twin plagues of COVID-19 and anti-Black police violence inspired her to rethink the importance of small, individual actions. Part memoir, part manifesto, her new book Viral Justice is a sweeping and deeply personal exploration of how we can transform society through the choices we make every day.

03 11 22

Il-, anti-, non-: Liberalism and its Contestations

The developments of the last three decades—the rise of the populist right, globalisation of culture wars, sharpening ideological polarisation—have led scholars to think of novel ways to capture changing political realities. Widely-used terms such as ‘populism’, ‘conservatism’, or ‘democratic backsliding’, increasingly fall short in describing ongoing transformations including the disappearance of the ideological centre, the driving power of emotions, and blurring distinctions between the right and the left.

01 11 22

Progress and Problems in the Study of Consciousness

From Matter to Mind

Understanding consciousness has been for centuries a subject of philosophical investigation, but only recently have scientists started to tackle this question. Some of the most influential philosophers and scientists in the field debate the recent progress (and the problems that remain) in the scientific study of consciousness.

27 10 22

The Ethical Dilemma of Artificial Intelligence

Moral Machines

In the middle of the 21st century, artificial intelligence (AI) will take many decisions on behalf of humans. Not to enslave people, but to save humanity, posits Roberto Simanowski in his talk. He looks back from the future to the present time, in which the first decisions for this development are made. Fiction for a better understanding of the present.

20 10 22

The Older Woman in West Germany and Britain, 1950s-1980s

Navigating Gender Regimes in History

While post-war social scientists and historians devoted ample time to the study of youth, older demographic groups received comparatively less attention. In contrast, in her Amsterdam German Studies Lecture, Professor Christina von Hodenberg focuses on the agency of older women in post-war West-Germany and Britain.