{"id":53343,"date":"2025-11-06T09:33:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T08:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/en\/?post_type=events&p=53343"},"modified":"2025-12-08T10:59:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T09:59:48","slug":"2025-edition-winter-online-lecture-series-on-europe","status":"publish","type":"events","link":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/en\/events\/2025-edition-winter-online-lecture-series-on-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 edition \u2013 Winter (Online) Lecture Series on Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n2025 edition Winter (Online) Lecture Series on Europe at the University of Luxembourg<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\nunder the aegis of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (EUI Florence)<\/h4>\n\n\n
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Rethinking Resilience: Expanding Perspectives, Deepening Understanding<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insights from Jean Monnet Fellows at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (EUI Florence)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sixth edition of the Winter (Online) Lecture Series on Europe<\/strong> (WOLS 2025) will take place at the University of Luxembourg<\/strong> from 1 to 17 December 2025<\/strong> in connection with the courses \u201cHistory of European integration (1919-1993)\u201d<\/strong> (MAHEC-142) and \u201cEconomic and social history of Europe after 1945: concepts, processes, actors\u201d<\/strong> (MAHEC-63) from the Master in European Contemporary History<\/strong>, and the course \u201cDemocratic transitions in Central and Eastern Europe\u201d<\/strong> (BCE-EU-301-04) from the Bachelor in European Cultures<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aim is to give students on these programs, as well as the wider academic community at the University of Luxembourg, the opportunity to find out about the history and workings of the European institutions in Luxembourg from new and unconventional angles and to discuss some of the milestones in contemporary European history with people who were involved in or witnessed these events. Each session (in English, with a Q&A session in French and English) will be streamed via Webex and will include a presentation by a speaker followed by a discussion with the audience and the opportunity to ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lectures, which are also open to the wider public, are run in conjunction with Europe Direct at the University of Luxembourg<\/a> (ED-UNILU) \u2013 a competitive European public history project co-funded by the European Union (2021-2025) \u2013, the Robert Schuman Initiative for European Affairs at the University of Luxembourg<\/a> (RSI) \u2013 a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (JMCE) for the study of European integration and the European Union \u2013, which also financially supports the lectures, and several other partners including: the European University Institute<\/a> (EUI) (Florence, Italy), Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the EUI Florence<\/a>, Florence School of Transnational Governance<\/a> (Florence, Italy), University of Padova<\/a> (Italy), Jagiellonian University<\/a> (Krakow, Poland), Europa Experience Luxembourg<\/a>, Chamber of Commerce Luxembourg<\/a>, Entreprise Europe Network Luxembourg<\/a>, European School Luxembourg I – Kirchberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\nTitled “Rethinking Resilience: Expanding Perspectives, Deepening Understanding”, the WOLS 2025 builds on the following observations:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1). Resilience is multidimensional and evolving concept<\/strong>. \u201cResilience\u201d is crucial for understanding systems exposed to disturbances . Originally formulated in the material sciences as the capacity of a body to regain its shape after a shock, it was later applied to ecology to describe a system\u2019s ability to absorb disturbances while maintaining its structure and functions (Holling, 1973). Since then, the concept has expanded into and across multiple disciplinary fields, including psychology, sociology, history, anthropology, engineering, economics, cultural studies, gender studies, etc, leading to multiple and sometimes divergent conceptualizations (Martin-Breen & Anderies, 2011).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2). Historical context shapes resilience.<\/strong> In an era characterized by polycrisis\u2014including the 2008\u20132018 financial crisis, the COVID 19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and ongoing socio-economic and environmental disruptions\u2014resilience is increasingly understood not only as restoration but as the capacity for adaptation and transformation. Interdisciplinary perspectives show that this capacity depends on historical and cultural factors, such as collective memory, institutional practices, and social infrastructures, as well as on social stratifications that shape how different groups experience and respond to crises (Ossewaarde\u202fet\u202fal.,\u202f2021; Juncos & Bourbeau,\u202f2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3). Forging digital resilience means anticipate, reflect, adapt.<\/strong> The digital and AI transformation reshapes resilience by transcending technological, social, and cultural boundaries, while supporting the preservation and transmission of knowledge, collective memory, and informed decision-making (Mandolesi, 2023). While critical infrastructures and socio-technical networks must absorb shocks while remaining adaptive, the digital dimension can simultaneously enhance adaptive responses, introduce new vulnerabilities, and trigger epistemic transformations by reshaping how knowledge about risks and decisions is produced, validated, and shared. (Neuberger et al., 2023; Aslama et al., 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4). Exploring resilience through broadened perspectives.<\/strong> History has shown that resilience is dynamic and relational, emerging from interactions among institutions, communities, and individuals, and requiring continuous learning and adaptation. It is therefore only through cross-disciplinary research, knowledge creation, and dialogue among diverse actors and intellectual perspectives that we can deepen our understanding of the mechanisms sustaining resilient systems (Nisioti et al., 2023; Mordechai, L., & Haldon, J. 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drawing on these insights, the WOLS 2025 aims to foster dialogue and knowledge sharing on emerging conceptual approaches, challenges, and transformations shaping contemporary understandings and practices of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nThe WOLS 2025 will feature the following sessions:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\n \n \n Monday 1st December 2025 (8.30\u201310.00) \u2013 \u201cA New Age of Feminist Resilience: Lessons from Policy, Politics, and Pandemic\u201d <\/span>\n\n <\/use><\/svg> <\/button>\n <\/h3>\n
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The conference will be in English.<\/p>\n\n

Chair and discussant: Dr Elena DANESCU
Guest lecturer: Dr Laura RAHM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Short biographies:<\/p>\n\n

Laura RAHM<\/strong> is a Political Sociologist and Associate Researcher at the Centre for Population and Development in Paris. She holds a PhD in Political Demography and Sociology from Sorbonne University, where she lectured on Population, Development, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She previously held a Jean Monnet Fellowship at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute and was a Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Global Research Fellow. Her main research focuses on global governance and gender studies. She has worked extensively on knowledge transfer, sustainable development, and public policies related to gender, population, and health, and has published widely in international journals. Currently, as a Policy Leader Fellow at the School for Transnational Governance (EUI, Florence), Dr RAHM is implementing a project titled \u201cReimagining Accountability: A Forward-Thinking Framework for Measuring Gender Equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Elena DANESCU<\/strong> is a Research Scientist at the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C\u00b2DH). She is a member in the Contemporary European History<\/a> research group and is accredited to supervise PhD candidates within the Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences. Her research, teaching and publications focuses on contemporary European history, European integration, EMU, history of economic thought, oral history, the role of women in diplomacy. She is an elected member of: the University Council<\/a> (2018-2023 and 2023-2028), the Board of the Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en and the Council of the Fondation Jean Monnet pour l\u2019Europe. She\u2019s also in charge of Europe Direct University of Luxembourg<\/a> \u2013 a competitive public history project co-funded by the European Union (2021-2025) and a founding fellow of the Robert Schuman Initiative for European Affairs<\/a>. In 2020, she was awarded the Fernand Braudel Senior Fellowship at the European University Institute<\/a> (EUI), and in 2024, she received a Jean Monnet Fellowship at he Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies<\/a> (RSCS) for the interdisciplinary research project \u201cThe Female Face of the EU.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Abstract:
<\/strong>Feminist resilience is the capacity to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity, drawing strength from feminist principles and collective action to challenge and transform oppressive systems. This lecture explores feminist resilience as both a historical and contemporary force shaping Europe\u2019s social and political evolution. It examines how feminist resilience has evolved through time and amid 21st century challenges\u2014from pandemics and war to democratic backsliding and
backlash against women\u2019s rights. Beginning with women\u2019s often-overlooked contributions to the post-1945 project of European integration, the lecture revisits the \u201cmothers of Europe\u201d whose work and activism helped lay the foundations for a more social and democratic Europe\u2014yet whose legacies remain overshadowed by narratives focused on the \u201cfounding fathers.\u201d It explores the diverse strategies and coping mechanisms mobilized by feminist actors in the face of gender backlash and funding restrictions\u2014ranging from stealth feminism and moderating gender language to reinforcing feminist discourse. It considers what these adaptive strategies reveal about power, agency, and resilience. Drawing lessons from policy, politics, and the pandemic, the lecture reflects on what a new age of feminist resilience might mean for Europe\u2019s future\u2014and how future historians will interpret this pivotal moment in the struggle for gender equality.<\/p>\n\n