Communication Across Difference

We live in a connected world, but stigmatization, extremism, and polarization obstruct communication between persons with different social backgrounds and identities. This prompts questions on how and with which attitude we should engage with people with radically different perspectives. Such questions are especially pressing for social researchers in a time in which science and trust in science itself has become a polarized matter. How can we reverse processes of polarization by engaging with those who differ from us? Which kind of communicative activities are needed to enable respectful and fruitful interaction between differently placed social actors? This workshop brings together scholars who work on and with communication across difference, such as, e.g., in criminology, philosophy, religious studies, and sociology.

The workshop consists of pre-read sessions, including an introduction by the speaker and a response by the commentator, and a keynote lecture by professor Linda Martín Alcoff. There is a possibility to attend the keynote independently of the other sessions and it will also be streamed online.

Keynote Lecture (also online)
Linda Martín Alcoff (CUNY, philosopher) will talk about “Dialogic Epistemology”

This talk will address the issue of communication across difference by exploring shared knowledge projects in situations of different standpoints, epistemic commitments, and positionalities with respect to power.

Speakers
Daniela Dover (Oxford, philosophy)
Alison Liebling (Cambridge, crimonology)
Marianne Moyaert (Leuven, interreligious dialogue)
Monika Kirloskar-Steinbach (VU, philosophy)
Naomi Kloosterboer (VU, philosophy)

Commentators
Nora Kindermann (VU, philosophy)
Jaron Harambam (UvA, sociology)
Merel Talbi (VU, philosophy)
Solmu Anttila (VU, philosophy)
TBA

Registration
If you are interested in participating in the workshop, please fill in this registration form. Please supply us with a short motivation (max. 200 words) why you wish to participate in the workshop. Please note that the number of available spots is limited and will be allocated on a first come/first serve basis. After filling in the registration form you will be notified within 48 hours on whether there are still spots available, or whether your name will be put on the waiting list. When registering for the workshop, you automatically have a spot for the keynote lecture. You are not required to separately register for the keynote.

If you are interested in attending the keynote only, please fill in this registration form. Please note that the number of available spots is limited and will be allocated on a first come/first serve basis. After filling in the registration form you will be notified within 48 hours on whether there are still spots available, or whether your name will be put on the waiting list. Digital attendance is unlimited.

Funding
The workshop is funded by CLUE+ (Call 23.01 grant, file nr. 0359) and by the Extreme Beliefs Project (H2020 European Research Council, Grant No. 851613).

Organizers
Naomi Kloosterboer, Nora Kindermann & Anna Haase