Researchers from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (Center for Migration Studies) and from Utrecht University (Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies) discussed several perspectives on refugees and religious tolerance in Europe. After the presentation of case studies from Poland, Hungary and Turkey, the workshop offered further reflections that stressed the importance of appropriately welcoming refugees, as well as the ambiguous roles that religion can have in this regard. Furthermore, the contributors argued that theorists also have a task in welcoming refugees. Read the summary report (Summary Report) or watch the video-recording of the workshop here
A short movie featuring the book entitled Europe and the Refugee Response: A Crisis of Values?, edited by Elżbieta M. Goździak, Izabella Main and Brigitte Suter Routledge 2020. The book is available for Open Access Download on Routledge – see here
Péter Krekó (Political Capital Institute) – Myths about Migration and Tribal Politics
Jean-Yves Camus (IRIS) – The Identitarian Movement in France and in Europe as a Vanguard of the Anti-Immigration Far Right: History and Concepts
Éva Gedő (Wesley Theological College Budapest) – Populism versus Liberalism
Attila Melegh (Corvinus University Budapest) – “Hungarians Can Be Replaced Only by Hungarians”: Historical-Sociological Analysis of Anti-Migrant Populism
Catherine Wihtol de Wenden (CNRS) – Figures of the Other (In Light of Growing Populisms)
Round table discussion – with Tímea Bagdi (Oltalom Association), Katalin Czottner (John Wesley Theological College), Vera Juhász (John Wesley Theological College), András Kováts (Menedék Foundation), Zoltán Somogyvári (Hungarian Helsinki Committee)
Francois Boucher (KU Leuven) – The Case of Europe: Transnational Populism and the UN Global Compacts on Refugees and Migrants.
Éva Szénási (University of Szeged) – Populist Discourse and Migration in the Policy of the FN/RN: Following Marine Le Pen’s Turn
János Salamon (McDaniel College Budapest) – The New Dispensation. The Popular Uprising against Liberalism
Endre Sík (Debrecen University / TARKI) – The Moral Panic Button 3.0
Alex Demirovic (University of Frankfurt) – Authoritarian Populism as a Neoliberal Crisis Management Strategy
François Boucher (KU Leuven) – National-Populism and Anti-Immigration Discourse in France, 2011-2017
Matter over Mind – Populism: an appeal to numbers with János Salamon
According to a long philosophical, Socratic tradition critical of democracy the rule of the many is in fact the rule of quantity over quality, of passions over reason, of matter over mind. In this talk the presenter wants to explore the relationship between anti-intellectual, anti-elite populism and democracy. In his investigation he intends to pay special attention to two related paradoxes.
What is populism? with Éva Gedő
The starting point of the lecture is that contemporary populist politics is characterized by a tendency to undisguised lying. Oxford Dictionaries designated “post-truth” as its 2015 Word of the Year. The concept of post-truth has been around for the past decade, but Oxford Dictionaries has witnessed a surge in usage in the year 2016 in the context of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. The idea of post-truth has also become a collocation of a particular noun, in the phrase post-truth politics. In the webinar presentation, it is attempted to create a new kind of so-called
“methodological individualist” position for the criticism of populism. The problem of populism is approached through the question of its relation to liberalism. The basis of the methodological individualist criticism of populism will be the problem of subjective decision, where treachery as a philosophical problem comes to the fore, and populism is approached through the question of the decision that justifies life-lies.
Relationship between migration and populism. A Comparative analysis of France and Germany with Eva Gedő and Éva Szénási
The two lectures following one another attempt to present and compare the policies of two right-wing populist parties in Western Europe the Front National and the AfD. The webinar gives emphasis to the analysis of the causes of the recent success of both parties. In this context, the webinar gives a brief overview of the histories of both right-wing radical parties and their current policies, the changes in their image, political language and themes. The comparison is interesting since the two parties, though keep their distances, have similar views on several issues, such as migration. Both parties describe national identity as under threat both from European integration and from the presence and accommodation of immigrants and refugees within the respective countries.
Migration and xenophobia with Endre Sík
This webinar explores how the Hungarian government framed the migration discourse and how the Fidesz-KDNP party coalition instrumentalised the refugee crisis as a „moral panic” button to increase the popularity of the government after its popularity decline 2014. The paper shows different anti-refugee governmental strategies of 2015 and 2016 such as the national consultation, the billboard, media and the referendum campaigns and analyses their impact on the xenophobic attitudes in the Hungarian society.
Migration as an international phenomenon with Attila Melegh
The history of the population and migration policy and the radicalization of emographic nationalism can be understood as evolving within the era of globalization out of an interplay between demographic challenges and labor market challenges on a global, European and local level. On all these levels there are key factors operating due to neoliberal institutions, most importantly the freedom of capital to move and overrule and subordinate local social arrangements. This webinar looks at Hungary as an example.
Opening Addresses
by Alessandra Facchi, Antonella Baldi (University of Milan) and Andreas Niederberger (University of Duisburg-Essen)
First Panel: Dignity
Speaker: Marcus Düwell (in lieu of Roger Brownsword, King’s College London)
Chair: Alessandra Facchi (University of Milan)
Discussant: Marcus Düwell (Utrecht University)
Second Panel: Justice
Speaker: Gianluigi Palombella (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies Pisa)
Chair: Vito Velluzzi (University of Milan)
Discussant: Silvia Zorzetto (University of Milan)
Third Panel: Equality
Speaker: Gianfrancesco Zanetti (CRID, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)
Chair: Ilaria Viarengo (University of Milan)
Discussant: Nicola Riva (University of Milan)
Fourth Panel: Freedoms
Speaker: Catherine Audard (London School of Economics)
Chair: Antonella Besussi (University of Milan)
Discussant: Andreas Niederberger (University of Duisburg-Essen)
Fifth Panel: Solidarity
Speaker: Philippe van Parijs (KU Leuven)
Chair: Maurizio Ambrosini (University of Milan)
Discussant: Elena Granaglia (University of Rome 3)
Sixth Panel: Citizens’ Rights
Speaker: Justine Lacroix (Free University of Bruxelles)
Chair: Volker Heins (University of Duisburg-Essen)
Discussant: Francois Boucher (University of Paris 1 – Panthéon-Sorbonne /KU Leuven)
Final Roundtable
With: Catherine Audard, Francois Boucher, Marcus Düwell, Elena Granaglia, Justine Lacroix, Andreas Niederberger, Philippe van Parijs, Nicola Riva, Silvia Zorzetto
Chair: Giancarlo Bosetti (University of Milan)
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 770330.