Together with the DeZinnen foundation, Communicantes is investigating possible sources of inspiration for the Europe of tomorrow. We have invited several speakers to share their views – see our flyer in pdf-format. On October 10, the British-Hungarian sociologist Frank Furedi argued that there is far too little attention, even disdain and disrespect for the specific input from Central and Eastern Europe; example is Viktor Orbán’s conservative-national-Christian Hungary. Allegedly, this disrespect is the reason why the Hungary-EU relations are so strained. So, how does the new Hungary look like, you ask yourself. Is it changing into an exemplary conservative-national-Christian country? The website Hungarian Spectrum by the Canadian-American-Hungarian historian Éva S. Balogh gives interesting insights into the political, religious, cultural and social life of her native country.

Onlangs betoogde filosoof en historicus Frank Ankersmit, dat onze Europese cultuur en filosofische erfenis versleten is. Europa moet zich daarom op de een of andere manier opnieuw uitvinden. Samen met stichting DeZinnen gaat Communicantes op zoek naar mogelijke bronnen van inspiratie. We beginnen met de Engelse socioloog Frank Furedi die meent dat er veel te weinig oog is voor de inbreng vanuit Midden- en Oost-Europa. Onlangs trok hij publieke aandacht met zijn boek “Populism and the European Culture Wars; The conflict of Values between Hungary and the EU” en een interview in De Volkskrant. Furedi betoogt dat de EU liberaal noch democratisch is, en dat het oude Europa moet inzien dat haar eigen oriëntatie niet heiligmakend is. Furedi spreekt op 10 oktober 2018 in Den Haag bij de Haagse Hogeschool. Voor meer informatie, zie de flyer in pdf-formaat.

What does religion look like, once it has undergone a process of secularisation but refuses to become invisible, private or something neutral? In other words what happens when religion returns to the public arena? Well, it becomes “public religion”. This return is not uncomplicated, because religion has “to negotiate” its presence in the public realm – something which at one given time in the past was entirely unnecessary. Church back then was expected to be present and in a straightforward way; no discussions needed. Continue reading →