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Engelstalig evenement
SPUI25 in spe
10 10 23
Gender and Self-Fashioning at the Intersection of Art and Science

In her forthcoming book, art historian Catherine Powell explores the intriguing life of Agnes Block, a remarkable seventeenth-century Dutch woman who we can find at the intersection of art and science. Powell will share her findings in a lecture, followed by comments by botanical philosopher Norbert Peeters and a presentation by literary scholar Feike Dietz.

Datum
Dinsdag 10 okt 2023 17:30 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
06 10 23
A Conversation with Mark Rowe
J.L. Austin: Philosopher and D-Day Intelligence Officer

Mark Rowe has just published the first full length biography of the celebrated ordinary-language philosopher, J.L. Austin. The book reveals the true complexity of Austin’s character, and the full range and significance of his achievements, including his lesser known role in planning the D-Day landings. Tonight, Rowe will talk about his new book with philosopher Tamara Dobler and English Literature scholar Rudolph Glitz.

Datum
Vrijdag 6 okt 2023 17:30 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
02 10 23
Book Launch
Forum Groningen: New Views on Public Space

Forum Groningen gives a kaleidoscopic view on the genesis of the architectural Forum project – the new cultural centre in the inner city of Groningen. This festive book presentation aims to explore the broader significance of this remarkable building by connecting the architects, book makers, invited critics and you, the audience. The panel reflects on the local and international meaning of the Forum in Groningen as a new form of public space that connects diverse cultural functions and merges architecture with cityscape. A large model of the Forum is present to illustrate the speakers’ views. Moderation by writer Dirk van Weelden.

Datum
Maandag 2 okt 2023 17:30 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
28 09 23
Stories of Climate Breakdown: Emotions and Inequalities

Climate change is having profound and distressing impact across the world. The ways in which the effects of climate breakdown are felt, lived, and experienced are deeply varied and uneven. In this event we will discuss the role of emotions in these lived experiences, exploring in particular the place of storytelling and narratives in emotional responses to climate breakdown.

Datum
Donderdag 28 sep 2023 17:30 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
19 09 23
Platform Perspectives
Navigating the Sharing Economy and Its Transformative Impact

Have you ever shared your house, your car, your household items or borrowed a dress via a sharing platform? Or are you curious, but still a bit weary to try it?

Datum
Dinsdag 19 sep 2023 17:30 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
19 09 23
Systems Thinking for Our Future

What can a systemic view of the Earth teach us about our future? Does the current understanding of the socio-ecological crisis give us the necessary tools to catalyze meaningful transformation? In this talk, Arthur Keller develops an in-depth overview of the systemic and interconnected challenges we face in our volatile, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous world and suggests novel transformation strategies.

Datum
Dinsdag 19 sep 2023 14:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
15 09 23
Sexual Self-Fashioning: Iranian Dutch Narratives of Sexuality and Belonging

Anthropologist Rahil Roodsaz investigates Iranian Dutch narratives of sexuality and belonging in her book Sexual Self-Fashioning: Iranian Dutch Narratives of Sexuality and Belonging. During this programme Roodsaz will present her new book, addressing the ways in which sexuality and gender have come to serve as measures for cultural belonging in discussions of the position of Muslim immigrants in multicultural Western societies. Roodsaz’ lecture marks the opening of the Amsterdam Research Centre for Gender & Sexuality’s new academic year.

Datum
Vrijdag 15 sep 2023 17:30 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
13 09 23
How we got here, why they matter, and what our technological future will look like
“Chip Wars”

Computer chips have taken center stage in the current geopolitical conflicts. Many debates tend to depict these issues as new challenges, but they are not. The geopolitics of computer chips has a deep and complicated history. In this sixth event of our “Geopolitics of Technology” series, we will discuss how decades of globalization have built and re-built our supply chains; why and how states have always played a key role in chip markets; and how and why concepts of economic, political and military power intersect particularly in this technological field.

Datum
Woensdag 13 sep 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
12 09 23
Decolonising La Mer Mortelle: The Experiences of Migrants at the European Borders

EU countries have the most mortal borders of the world, with thousands of deaths of African and Middle Eastern people each year and many more detained or living under deplorable circumstances as “illegal”—which makes them easily exploitable and deportable people. In this first edition of Decolonising La Mer Mortelle, we center the experiences and ideas of refugees themselves to explore alternatives for today’s lethal situation. How to get out of the current dynamic in which public empathy surges at dramatic moments, but is succeeded by policies that supposedly “prevent” dramas, yet actually worsen refugees’ situation?

Datum
Dinsdag 12 sep 2023 17:30 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
11 07 23
‘Strategic foresight’ building ‘strategic preparedness’ for a rapidly evolving world
Navigating the Future

In a rapidly evolving world driven by innovation, the ability to anticipate and prepare for future advancements is crucial. ‘Technological foresight’ has become paramount for policymakers as they navigate the path ahead, serving as a compass to evaluate the potential societal impacts of complex scientific and technological developments. It also aids decision-makers in gaining a more strategic understanding of the issues they must address.

Datum
Dinsdag 11 jul 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
29 06 23
German and Dutch Perspectives
Debating Holocaust and Colonial Memory Culture: Historikerstreit 2.0

In 2021, a heated debate ignited what the Australian historian A. Dirk Moses called “The German Catechism.” Moses criticized the German consensus on the uniqueness of the Holocaust. While defending this uniqueness, comparisons with other genocides are often not taken into account. Moses depicted German intellectuals as “high priests” who by all means defend their ideas. Simultaneously, they tend to overlook the colonial context of German atrocities in Eastern Europe, as well as wider debates on a variety of memory cultures. In his lecture, historian Michael Wildt sheds light on this new “Historikerstreit.”

Datum
Donderdag 29 jun 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
27 06 23
Algorithmic Injustice

Algorithms play an increasingly important role in our daily life but come with serious societal risks. In recent years we have seen many cases of algorithms that show unfair biased behavior towards particular groups or individuals, for instance the Dutch Toeslagenaffaire. This leads to growing concerns about harmful discrimination and reproduction of structural inequalities once these technologies become institutionalized in society. During this evening on algorithmic injustice we explore and discuss both the philosophical and technical aspects as well as the lived experiences of people who suffered from unfair algorithms.

Datum
Dinsdag 27 jun 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
26 06 23
The 1981 Massacre in Iran: Uncovering a Forgotten Mass Atrocity

June 2023 marks the 42nd anniversary of the 1981 massacre in Iran, the most extensive massacre in its recent history. In the past few years, a group of scholars and investigative journalists formed a research collective (Rastyad Collective) and studied this highly neglected massacre. In this event, the speakers will discuss the historical, legal, and political significance of the 1981 Massacre and reflect on the results of this research project.

Datum
Maandag 26 jun 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
22 06 23
Character assassination and antiliberalism in (pre-)Revolutionary France
Tyranny and Terror

Character assassination and antiliberalism often go hand in hand. Two distinguished British historians will speak about character assassination and antiliberal elements in the 1700s. While Enlightenment ideals led to a surge of liberalism and sparked the birth of Europe’s first liberal democracies, these developments also triggered strong counter reactions.

Datum
Donderdag 22 jun 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
20 06 23
Book Launch
The Lost Future and How to Reclaim It

The future seems increasingly uncertain. Our democracies are failing to prevent financial crises, energy shortages, climate change and war—so how can we look to the future with confidence? In his new book, The Lost Future: And How to Reclaim It, Jan Zielonka argues that it is democracy’s shortsightedness that makes politics stumble in our increasingly connected world. Tonight, he will discuss his book with Caroline de Gruyter and Luiza Bialasiewicz.

Datum
Dinsdag 20 jun 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
15 06 23
The road from state socialism through liberal democracy to autocracy
Democratic Erosion: The Case of Hungary

In the last decade, Hungary has received international attention for its democratic erosion. The country has been the first institutionally consolidated democracy to turn into an autocracy. How has this effect of ‘backsliding’ been possible? And what has marked the transition from democracy to autocracy? In this lecture the process of democratic transition as well as the main factors that allowed the Hungarian government to undergo the development without meaningful push-back will be discussed.

Datum
Donderdag 15 jun 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
14 06 23
Uncommon Transitions? Memory and Forgetting between Eastern and Western Europe

Why do memories of transitions in the late 1980s and 1990s remain disconnected between Eastern and Western Europe? This NIAS talk explores the diverging interpretations and memory cultures of this turbulent time in history that have emerged in the ‘former East’ and the ‘former West’. Together with experts working on different parts of Central and Eastern Europe, we shed light on how these transitions are remembered and forgotten in the Netherlands as well as in other countries of the ‘former West’.

Datum
Woensdag 14 jun 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
05 06 23
Rethinking Our News Diet: On Polarisation and Online News Consumption

When talking about polarization, populism, and misinformed publics, we often focus on the role of echo chambers, fake news, and radical rabbit holes on social media. A new project argues this is the wrong focus. Instead, we should turn our eye on our news diet and ­– specifically – on the alarming lack of quality news in this diet. This lack is a risk to democratic societies because less informed citizens are more susceptible to populist and manipulative messages. Join the presentation of this project and a discussion on how to increase our news exposure.

Datum
Maandag 5 jun 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
31 05 23
Reflections on wild game in the modern world
Photographing Hunting Cultures

Photographer and writer Isabella Rozendaal will be speaking about her documentary project Isabella Hunts and the time she spent among various hunting communities. Rozendaal is intrigued by man’s ambivalent relation to animals. Would we treat them differently if we had to hunt and kill our own food?

Datum
Woensdag 31 mei 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
31 05 23
The State of European Literature: Fatma Aydemir

Tonight, Fatma Aydemir, a major voice in German literature, will deliver the fourth State of European Literature. The State of European Literature is an annual lecture delivered by a renowned author or poet of international stature, about the state of literature and the state of Europe through the perspective of literature.

Datum
Woensdag 31 mei 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
Agnietenkapel
25 05 23
Cold War Camera

From Kabul to Kyiv and beyond, photography plays a prominent role in mediating the global Cold War and its protracted afterlife. This public event explores the visual culture of the global Cold War and features Pippa Oldfield, who will moderate a dialogue with Thy Phu and Erina Duganne, the editors of the new book, Cold War Camera, award-winning photographer Susan Meiselas, and historian and photographer Tong Lam.

Datum
Donderdag 25 mei 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
23 05 23
Public Spaces, Contested Places, Cultural Encounters
Diversity of Belonging in Europe

Belonging – or not belonging – lies at the core of many of the recent ‘crises’ and ongoing processes of change that continue to shape as well as to shake up contemporary Europe. New forms of socio-spatial inclusion and exclusion have been both embraced and contested – and always (re)negotiated – as part of ongoing processes of social change, connected to migration and displacement, post-socialism and decolonisation, populism and polarisation.

Datum
Dinsdag 23 mei 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
19 05 23
The Hmm ON
Co-Creation with AI

AI technologies have been around for a long time, but it is only recently that we’ve had a chance to experience some of these tools ourselves in our daily lives. For instance, with ChatGPT, an advanced and exponentially popular AI chatbot, and with AI image generators such as DALL-E and Midjourney. Now that we have had the opportunity to personally collaborate with AI through image, text and audio generating tools, ethical and socio-political questions have started to surface about what it means to co-create with AI. How will these advancements in AI technologies reshape and reconfigure our daily lives? During this special evening it is time to reflect on AI and take on some new approaches to co-creation.

Datum
Vrijdag 19 mei 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
17 05 23
European Press Freedom under Pressure

Press freedom is increasingly coming under pressure across Europe. Reporters Without Borders have repeatedly measured a decline in press freedom in many European countries over the last few years, including the Netherlands. Where does this come from? And what are the various problems associated with and arising from declining press freedom?

Datum
Woensdag 17 mei 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
11 05 23
NIAS Talk
Dutch Colonies of Benevolence

Last year, the UNESCO World Heritage recognized the lasting cultural significance of the unfree ‘colony of benevolence’ at Veenhuizen (now home to the National Prison Museum). This round table brings together three leading researchers on domestic colonies to discuss the international significance of this colony, which opened its doors 200 years ago.

Datum
Donderdag 11 mei 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
11 05 23
Amsterdam German Studies Lecture
Living in a Vortex: On Writing World History at a Time of Globalisation Blues

The glory days of globalisation are over. After the sobering experiences of the last few years, little remains of the faith that growing international exchange will foster mutual understanding and cooperation. At the same, the environmental crisis makes it ever more important to think on a global scale. Pollution knows no borders, and the same holds true for erosion, loss of biodiversity, climate change and other issues at the interface of man and the natural world. The predicament of our times urges a new type of world history. In his Amsterdam German Studies Lecture, Frank Uekötter offers a novel approach.

Datum
Donderdag 11 mei 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
10 05 23
Islam, Democracy and Development

Many Muslim-majority countries struggle with problems of authoritarianism and underdevelopment. In this year’s ACMES annual lecture, Ahmet Kuru will explore this issue by discussing Islam and its relation to Western political and socioeconomic institutions. He will address the matter by referring to his award-winning book Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison (Cambridge University Press, 2019).

Datum
Woensdag 10 mei 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
08 05 23
On epics and counter-epics
Is Europe a Joke?

As the The European Review of Books turns one year old, the questions remain: Books? Review? Europe? To ask what makes a “European” magazine is to ask what and who makes (or unmakes) a European culture.

Datum
Maandag 8 mei 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Woensdag 19 apr 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Dinsdag 18 apr 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Maandag 17 apr 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Donderdag 13 apr 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Woensdag 5 apr 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Woensdag 29 mrt 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Maandag 27 mrt 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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?

Datum
Donderdag 23 mrt 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Donderdag 23 mrt 2023 20:00 uur
Locatie
Aula
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.

Datum
Donderdag 23 mrt 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Donderdag 9 mrt 2023 10:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
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.

Datum
Woensdag 8 mrt 2023 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25