Kick-Off Event “Debating & Transforming Open Societies"

How are open societies transforming and what is our role therein? In a recent Institutions for Open Societies' Position Paper on Transforming Open Societies, the authors - Flor Avelino, Carolina Castaldi, Rutger Claassen and Anna Gerbrandy - renew and refine the notion of open societies and relate it to a diversity of normative perspectives and processes of institutional transformation.

The Position Paper, to be downloaded here, intends to be the start of a conversation. We explicitly invite academic communities in Institutions for Open Societies (IOS), Utrecht and beyond to engage in a renewed debate and exchange on openness in contemporary times. We would like to kick-off this exchange on March 6^th with an event “Debating & Transforming Open Societies”.

After a short summary of the position paper, we will have three responses from the IOS-community by Kathrin Thiele (IOS platform In/Equality), Thijs Jeursen (IOS platform Contesting Governance), Jasper Sluijs (IOS platform Markets & Corporations) and a response by focus area Migration and Societal Change (speaker t.b.c.). These short contributions are followed by a panel discussion with the audience.

At the end of the event we will present a ‘call for exchanges’ where we invite colleagues to actively engage with the debate. More specifically, we would like to collect your ideas about how you would like to engage with it. Write a position statement in response? A podcast contribution? Hosting an interactive event with societal partners? Other ideas? Based on your concrete ideas and proposals, we will plan next steps.

Please register to join this event.

March 6^th 13:00-15:00 hours: Debating & Transforming Open Societies

Location: E1.25 Tielezaal, Utrecht University Library City Centre

• 13:00 Arrive, coffee & tea
• 13:15 Contributions on transforming open societies
  • Position paper summary by Flor Avelino, IOS programme team
  • Response by Kathrin Thiele, platform In/Equality
  • Response by Thijs Jeursen, platform Contesting Governance
  • Response by Jasper Sluijs, platform Markets & Corporations
  • Response by Ilse van Liempt and Jos Philips (focus area Migration and Societal Change)
• 14:00 Panel discussion incl. Q&A and discussion with audience
• 14:45 Call for exchanges & next steps

Please download the IOS Position Paper here.