Time To Talk
These are transcript excerpts from the Kultura Liberalna debate, I hate politics. On people’s cynicism and the dissolution of trust – a debate which looked at the nature of trust in liberal democracies.
Click here to read the transcript.
Krytyka Polityczna welcome Slavoj Žižek to Warsaw as they ask – what does Europe want? A discussion between the well-known Slovenian academician and cultural critic and Krytyka Polityczna’s very own political commentator, Sławomir Sierakowski.
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Krytyka Polityczna kickstart their Poland for Beginners series with a look at gender and diversity and the origins of mainstream political gender discourse within Poland. Join Agnieszka Graff as she traces the origins of the anti-gender campaign, looking at Poland’s ban on abortion, accession to the EU and the rise of the Polish right. Watch the recording!
Kultura Liberalna host a discussion looking at the future of the state. In a time in which states are increasingly looking weak, yet simultaneously are becoming expected to do more and more, the guests look at Western examples – both good and bad – and ask what is possible for the Polish state and how it can be realistically reformed to meet the challenges of the future.
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In light of the recent Scottish referendum, the Free Word Centre takes a closer look at the UK’s voting age and asks, whether we should all trust 16 year olds with suffrage? With participants from the British Youth Council, the Labour party and various youth representative establishments, this debate assesses the viability of the vote for 16 to 18 year olds and its implications.
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2014’s CEF focussed on the concept of “us and them”, on 25 years of post-communism in the former Eastern bloc and on emerging societal divisions. Participants came together to discuss a quarter century of freedom and the challenges our societies have to face as we look to the future. Watch the recordings!
Depo analyses the Turkish media and its role in society and politics. With Esra Arsan, Sevda Alankuş and Umut Alphan, they look at the way the media has covered key recent events and consider how trust for traditional media sources has deteriorated. Watch the video highlights!
In the third of its cycle of 25th anniversary debates, The Red House looks at the distrust of institutions and figures of authority that is becoming imbedded in Bulgarian society. Looking at how the situation has developed, The Red House finds itself asking how the process of transition has destroyed trust and if it’s still possible to achieve change in its absence?
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In the second of its cycle of 25th anniversary debates, The Red House compares the status of the media in communist Bulgaria with that of its present incarnation. Assessing their levels of independence and the bases of their content, this debate asks, whether the present situation is really any better than that of 1989 and how to ensure that it improves in the future. Watch the video highlights!
The Red House kicks off its cycle of debates looking back at 25 years of post-communism with a debate on social equality. Comparing the situations in Poland and Bulgaria, this debate asks, whether the present situation was inevitable and looks at the way forward – how can Bulgaria ensure social equality for the next generation? Watch the video highlights!
How does the Czech education system look twenty five years after the collapse of the Soviet Union? Agora CE invites specialists to look at the pros and cons of the national system, asking questions about the current direction, alternatives and appeal; do students, both abroad and at home, have faith in the Czech system and what can be done to improve it?
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Kultura Liberalna tackles the problem of a re-emergent European right, looking at the status of multiculturalism in Europe and asking what steps we need to take to emerge from the fear of the other, which seems to presently be retaking much of the continent. Has multiculturalism failed and what is the future of migration in Europe?
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Kultura Liberalna asked how to tackle youth unemployment and resolve the crisis of trust in our labour markets. With high profile speakers, including Peter Szumlewicz and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, this debate sought to analyse where the problems really lie in today’s economic malaise and how these can be overcome to provide us all with a brighter future.
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What is the future of journalism and will it improve or worsen the information we receive? On the 22nd October, Rachel Briggs, Amie Ferris-Rotman, Raymond Joseph and Richard Sambrook came together at London’s renowned Frontline Club to take a closer look at the future of reporting might look like. Watch the video highlights!
What happens to young mums in the Czech Republic, how many of them actually are there and what support do they receive? Agora CE and students of Gymnázium Na Vítězné look at the challenges facing girls who become pregnant.
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The recent crisis has highlighted the conflict of interests caused by Russian resurgence and the EU’s expansion in the East. In the run-up to the Ukrainian parliamentary elections, deBuren asked if the EU can guarentee stability and what, if any, meaning international treaties retain in lieu of the means and will to reinforce them.
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Depot ask just how far we can trust the state to look after our private information. In this debate on biometric information and data protection, they ask where our information ends up, who has access to it and what exactly may the state do with it once it has come into their hands?
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On the 30th September, the Free Word Centre and the UK Youth Climate Coalition looked at climate change and the choices that face young people, trying to find sources of information they can trust. Watch the video highlights!
Local governments in Poland encourage special economic zones, but their erection seems to lead to a rise in the ranks of the local precariat, with such zones often appearing to be accompanied by a laxer regime on workers’ rights and an increase in contracts of the flimsiest nature. Which raises the question, who benefits from SEEs and should we be welcoming or opposing their expansion? Watch the video highlights!
Krytyka Polityczna looked at how to ensure access to the information we require, in order to be able to see what is really going on within our communities. In a workshop discussion with the Bone Fides Foundation, those in attendance were able to find out what rights Polish citizens have and how they can look to exercise them. Watch the video highlights!
We hear a lot about work-life balance, but what about a work-work balance? How come many people are now working more and more hours, while so many others remain unemployed? It’s time to talk about work: its distribution and its qualification. Join Krytyka on the 22nd September for a debate about the social significance of employment. Watch the video highlights!
On September 18th, Kultura Liberalna looked at that most important of societal bonds – trust. What has been the communal impact of the economic crises on our interpersonal relationships and how much faith is still left in those responsible for running our societies? Watch the video highlights!
Following the eviction of a family activists looked to improve the integration and conditions of Roma living in Poland. One measure adopted was a series of workshops, which promoted co-operation between the stakeholders involved. On the conclusion of these workshops, Krytyka Polityczna brought state, civil society and local Roma together to discuss their outcomes, resulting in this debate. Watch the video highlights!
On the 3rd September, members of the Ukranian editorial board of Krytyka Polityczna and representatives of Kyiv’s Visual Culture Research Centre came together to discuss the origins and motivations of the participants in 2013-14’s Euromaidan. Answering those questions you haven’t felt able to ask, Wednesday’s speakers looked to fill the Warsaw audience in on the background to the protests. Watch the video highlights!
From the 28th-31st August, activists from across the region came together to discuss the concept of Central Eastern Europe, its development in the last twenty-five years and the actions, which they and their groups could look at undertaking to further improve the region – a meeting about regional characteristics, transition and the end of post-communism. Watch the video highlights!
Depo looks at Turkey’s judiciary and how it is generally perceived within Turkey, with Suavi Aydın and Berke Özenç assessing the impact these perceptions have upon social confidence and the ways in which people in Turkey lead their lives. Watch the video highlights!
Ukraine: Thinking Together looked back at the last six months in the Ukraine, the historical origins of recent events, how these happenings fit into European traditions of protest and what lessons can be drawn from Yanukovych’s downfall and all that has transpired since then. See the lectures!
With online media increasingly playing a role in both our professional and social lives, Free Word invited a young audience to take a look at the role which surveillance has to play in our online interactions. What do young Brits think about state surveillance, privacy and the choices we all make about sharing our personal data online? Watch the video highlights!
What has been the impact of our 24 hour lifestyle upon the development of modern science and politics? Coolpolitics look at our fading trust for all things official and ask if the question doesn’t perhaps lie in the pressure for results which we put upon our public figures. Watch the video highlights!
What impact has the emergence of new online media alternatives had on public perceptions of traditional media outlets? Coolpolitics looked at public perceptions of both new and old media and investigated the role of trust in the changing landscapes of modern journalism. Watch the video highlights!
What is the way forward for the EU? Should we be moving closer together or further apart? At a time in which many distrust the union, ECF and De Balie took a look at what is likely to be on our political horizon in the coming election year. Watch the video!
Depo looks at Turkey’s security politics, taking in their origin, consolidation and present development: how much do people trust their institutions and what impact do these levels of trust have upon how confident people in Turkey feel in their everyday lives?
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How are young people portrayed in traditional media, how often do they get to have their own say and how is the emergence of alternative media altering their perception within society and their ability to make themselves heard? Free Word looks at how today’s youth is perceived and how the internet is changing these perceptions.
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