Past Events

	Title	Date	Type	Speakers
	Inequality and Knowledge Production: Gender and Race in European Academia	Mon, 29.09.2025, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Bruna Cristina Jaquetto Pereira Misha Glenny	Inequality and Knowledge Production: Gender and Race in European Academia Fellows' Colloquium with Bruna Cristina Jaquetto Pereira Mon, 29.09.2025, 16:00 Speakers: Bruna Cristina Jaquetto Pereira Misha Glenny Series: Seminars and Colloquia European universities have long been at the forefront of producing groundbreaking science, theories, and concepts that shape our understanding of the world. In this talk, Bruna Cristina Jaquetto Pereira examined how European academia sustains pervasive hierarchies that determine who participates in, benefits from, and is recognized as capable or deserving of taking part in knowledge production. Read more
Inequality and Knowledge Production: Gender and Race in European Academia Fellows' Colloquium with Bruna Cristina Jaquetto Pereira Mon, 29.09.2025, 16:00 Speakers: Bruna Cristina Jaquetto Pereira Misha Glenny Series: Seminars and Colloquia European universities have long been at the forefront of producing groundbreaking science, theories, and concepts that shape our understanding of the world. In this talk, Bruna Cristina Jaquetto Pereira examined how European academia sustains pervasive hierarchies that determine who participates in, benefits from, and is recognized as capable or deserving of taking part in knowledge production. Read more
	Who Can Speak? Reflections on Social Movements and Their Limits	Sat, 27.09.2025, 19:30	Festivals	Ivan KrastevDidier Eribon	Who Can Speak? Reflections on Social Movements and Their Limits Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 Sat, 27.09.2025, 19:30 Speakers: Ivan KrastevDidier Eribon Series: Festivals At the Vienna Humanities Festival 2025, renowned French sociologist Didier Eribon returned to the themes of his latest book The Life, Old Age, and Death of a Working-Class Woman. Reflecting on the political invisibility of the elderly and others excluded from mobilization, he examined the deeper question of who gets to speak in the public sphere. Read more
Who Can Speak? Reflections on Social Movements and Their Limits Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 Sat, 27.09.2025, 19:30 Speakers: Ivan KrastevDidier Eribon Series: Festivals At the Vienna Humanities Festival 2025, renowned French sociologist Didier Eribon returned to the themes of his latest book The Life, Old Age, and Death of a Working-Class Woman. Reflecting on the political invisibility of the elderly and others excluded from mobilization, he examined the deeper question of who gets to speak in the public sphere. Read more
	Central Europe and the Birth of Modern Sovereignty	Fri, 26.09.2025, 18:30	Festivals	Natasha Wheatley, Matti Bunzl	Central Europe and the Birth of Modern Sovereignty Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 Fri, 26.09.2025, 18:30 Speakers: Natasha Wheatley, Matti Bunzl Series: Festivals In her keynote lecture at the Vienna Humanities Festival 2025, American historian Natasha Wheatley presented insights from her acclaimed book The Life and Death of States, exploring how the Habsburg Empire’s legal legacy shaped modern sovereignty and offered a model for new states to claim legitimacy in Central Europe and beyond. Read more
Central Europe and the Birth of Modern Sovereignty Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 Fri, 26.09.2025, 18:30 Speakers: Natasha Wheatley, Matti Bunzl Series: Festivals In her keynote lecture at the Vienna Humanities Festival 2025, American historian Natasha Wheatley presented insights from her acclaimed book The Life and Death of States, exploring how the Habsburg Empire’s legal legacy shaped modern sovereignty and offered a model for new states to claim legitimacy in Central Europe and beyond. Read more
	Love Troubles: How Love Drives Transformation	Thu, 25.09.2025, 19:00	Festivals	Federica Gregoratto, Dessy Gavrilova	Love Troubles: How Love Drives Transformation Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 Thu, 25.09.2025, 19:00 Speakers: Federica Gregoratto, Dessy Gavrilova Series: Festivals In her talk at the Vienna Humanities Festival 2025, philosopher Federica Gregoratto explored how love has been conceptualized throughout Western philosophy—from Plato and Hegel to the Frankfurt School, Simone de Beauvoir, and Audre Lorde. Drawing on this tradition, she offered an original perspective on how eros shapes individual freedom and social transformation in the context of contemporary power struggles. Read more
Love Troubles: How Love Drives Transformation Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 Thu, 25.09.2025, 19:00 Speakers: Federica Gregoratto, Dessy Gavrilova Series: Festivals In her talk at the Vienna Humanities Festival 2025, philosopher Federica Gregoratto explored how love has been conceptualized throughout Western philosophy—from Plato and Hegel to the Frankfurt School, Simone de Beauvoir, and Audre Lorde. Drawing on this tradition, she offered an original perspective on how eros shapes individual freedom and social transformation in the context of contemporary power struggles. Read more
	Der Bauernkrieg 1525	Wed, 24.09.2025, 18:30	Festivals	Misha GlennyLyndal Roper	Der Bauernkrieg 1525 Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 Wed, 24.09.2025, 18:30 Speakers: Misha GlennyLyndal Roper Series: Festivals Die erste Keynote Lecture im Rahmen des Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 hielt die Historikerin Lyndal Roper über das politische Erbe des Deutschen Bauernkriegs. Nach eingehender Recherche aller verfügbaren Archivquellen beleuchtete Roper die wirkliche Tragweite dieser dramatischen Ereignisse. Dem Vortrag folgte eine Diskussion mit IWM Rektor Misha Glenny. Read more
Der Bauernkrieg 1525 Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 Wed, 24.09.2025, 18:30 Speakers: Misha GlennyLyndal Roper Series: Festivals Die erste Keynote Lecture im Rahmen des Vienna Humanities Festival 2025 hielt die Historikerin Lyndal Roper über das politische Erbe des Deutschen Bauernkriegs. Nach eingehender Recherche aller verfügbaren Archivquellen beleuchtete Roper die wirkliche Tragweite dieser dramatischen Ereignisse. Dem Vortrag folgte eine Diskussion mit IWM Rektor Misha Glenny. Read more
	Streaming Illiberalism: Alternative Digital Ecosystems and Democratic Erosion in Central and Eastern Europe	Mon, 22.09.2025, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Misha Glenny Václav Štětka	Streaming Illiberalism: Alternative Digital Ecosystems and Democratic Erosion in Central and Eastern Europe Fellows' Colloquium with Václav Štětka Mon, 22.09.2025, 16:00 Speakers: Misha Glenny Václav Štětka Series: Seminars and Colloquia In this Fellow's Colloquium Václav Štětka addressed the growing prominence of right-wing media ecosystems built around online influencers and amplified by platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The presentation examined how this environment will affect democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on the Czech Republic ahead of the 2025 elections, and explored the disruptive role of global digital platforms through the lens of platform capitalism. Read more
Streaming Illiberalism: Alternative Digital Ecosystems and Democratic Erosion in Central and Eastern Europe Fellows' Colloquium with Václav Štětka Mon, 22.09.2025, 16:00 Speakers: Misha Glenny Václav Štětka Series: Seminars and Colloquia In this Fellow's Colloquium Václav Štětka addressed the growing prominence of right-wing media ecosystems built around online influencers and amplified by platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The presentation examined how this environment will affect democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on the Czech Republic ahead of the 2025 elections, and explored the disruptive role of global digital platforms through the lens of platform capitalism. Read more
	Emancypantki: The Forgotten Herstory of Poland’s Suffragists	Mon, 15.09.2025, 17:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Ivan Krastev Katarzyna Wężyk	Emancypantki: The Forgotten Herstory of Poland’s Suffragists Fellows' Colloquium with Katarzyna Wężyk Mon, 15.09.2025, 17:00 Speakers: Ivan Krastev Katarzyna Wężyk Series: Seminars and Colloquia In this Fellow's Colloquium Katarzyna Wężyk examined the lives of women’s rights activists who fought for suffrage and broader emancipation in a nation that did not yet exist, navigating the archetype of the “Polish mother” rooted in patriotism and Catholicism. Many of these women defied gender norms through unorthodox lives and intellectual pursuits, moving from Romantic ideals to Positivist calls for independence and finally to suffrage demands. Read more
Emancypantki: The Forgotten Herstory of Poland’s Suffragists Fellows' Colloquium with Katarzyna Wężyk Mon, 15.09.2025, 17:00 Speakers: Ivan Krastev Katarzyna Wężyk Series: Seminars and Colloquia In this Fellow's Colloquium Katarzyna Wężyk examined the lives of women’s rights activists who fought for suffrage and broader emancipation in a nation that did not yet exist, navigating the archetype of the “Polish mother” rooted in patriotism and Catholicism. Many of these women defied gender norms through unorthodox lives and intellectual pursuits, moving from Romantic ideals to Positivist calls for independence and finally to suffrage demands. Read more
	Small and Middle Powers on the Geopolitical Stage	Tue, 09.09.2025, 13:30 - Tue, 09.09.2025, 18:30	Conferences and Workshops	Ivan Krastev James C. O'Brien	Small and Middle Powers on the Geopolitical Stage Geopolitical Workshop with James C. O’Brien Tue, 09.09.2025, 13:30 - Tue, 09.09.2025, 18:30 Speakers: Ivan Krastev James C. O'Brien Series: Conferences and Workshops James C. O’Brien moderated the Geopolitical Workshop on strategies for small and middle powers to gain geopolitical significance, focusing on their assets, weaknesses, and UN Security Council ambitions. The discussion stress-tested current approaches and explored opportunities, co-chaired by IWM Albert Hirschman Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev. Read more
Small and Middle Powers on the Geopolitical Stage Geopolitical Workshop with James C. O’Brien Tue, 09.09.2025, 13:30 - Tue, 09.09.2025, 18:30 Speakers: Ivan Krastev James C. O'Brien Series: Conferences and Workshops James C. O’Brien moderated the Geopolitical Workshop on strategies for small and middle powers to gain geopolitical significance, focusing on their assets, weaknesses, and UN Security Council ambitions. The discussion stress-tested current approaches and explored opportunities, co-chaired by IWM Albert Hirschman Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev. Read more
	Beyond Hype and Fear	Mon, 08.09.2025, 18:00	Lecture	Virginia Dignum	Beyond Hype and Fear Responsible AI for Societal Transformation Mon, 08.09.2025, 18:00 Speakers: Virginia Dignum Series: Lecture This talk argued that responsibility in AI is not a constraint but the foundation of meaningful innovation. While acknowledging trade-offs and context in decision-making, Virginia Dignum contended that responsible AI is not optional; it is the only viable path for artificial intelligence if it is to support human prosperity. Read more
Beyond Hype and Fear Responsible AI for Societal Transformation Mon, 08.09.2025, 18:00 Speakers: Virginia Dignum Series: Lecture This talk argued that responsibility in AI is not a constraint but the foundation of meaningful innovation. While acknowledging trade-offs and context in decision-making, Virginia Dignum contended that responsible AI is not optional; it is the only viable path for artificial intelligence if it is to support human prosperity. Read more
	Belarus: Revolution and Repression	Tue, 05.08.2025, 17:00	Panels and Discussions	Andrzej Gniazdowski Marci ShorePavel Barkouski, Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, Ekaterina Tewes	Belarus: Revolution and Repression IWM Tischner Debates 2025 Tue, 05.08.2025, 17:00 Speakers: Andrzej Gniazdowski Marci ShorePavel Barkouski, Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, Ekaterina Tewes Series: Panels and Discussions In 2020, Belarus was rocked by revolutionary upheaval. The world watched on, impressed by the mass protests by civil society in a country that rarely received any media attention. The regime’s answer was to launch a harsh crackdown that ultimately succeeded in breaking the spirit of democracy and freedom. Thousands of people were arrested, many of whom are now suffering from brutal violence and inhumane conditions as political prisoners. Many other protesters were forced to leave the country or fled in fear of arrest. Read more
Belarus: Revolution and Repression IWM Tischner Debates 2025 Tue, 05.08.2025, 17:00 Speakers: Andrzej Gniazdowski Marci ShorePavel Barkouski, Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, Ekaterina Tewes Series: Panels and Discussions In 2020, Belarus was rocked by revolutionary upheaval. The world watched on, impressed by the mass protests by civil society in a country that rarely received any media attention. The regime’s answer was to launch a harsh crackdown that ultimately succeeded in breaking the spirit of democracy and freedom. Thousands of people were arrested, many of whom are now suffering from brutal violence and inhumane conditions as political prisoners. Many other protesters were forced to leave the country or fled in fear of arrest. Read more