On October 10th, María Corina Machado was awarded, amongst a group of 337 nominees, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and … Continue reading
Category: Europe
When Neutrality Becomes Politics: France’s Struggle with Laïcité in the 21st Century
In early September, the French government moved to ban the wearing of long robes known as abayas in state-run schools. An abaya is a long, loose outer garment traditionally worn by some Muslim women as an expression of modesty in … Continue reading
Les Sociaux-Démocrates perdent les élections municipaux à Copenhagen. Est-ce que ça présage leur chute?
Le mercredi 19 novembre, Sisse Marie Welling, candidate du Parti populaire socialiste, devient la maire de Copenhague. Les sociaux-démocrates, un parti de centre gauche au gouvernement au niveau fédéral, finissent en troisième position, avec 12,7% du vote. Ceci note la … Continue reading
First Year Voices, World AIDS Day: The Politics of Movement, How Dance has Historically Accelerated AIDS/HIV Advocacy
Since the start of the global AIDS/HIV epidemic in the 1980’s, dance studio barres, marley floors, and stage lights have felt the loss of countless choreographers and dancers. Influential figures such as Hideyuki Yano, Arnie Zane, Dominique Bagouet, Jorge … Continue reading
The Art of Theft: What the Louvre Robbery Reveals About French Art Myths
On October 19, 2025, a team of thieves broke into a second-floor window of the Louvre Museum in Paris and left with eight pieces of 19th-century French crown jewels. The robbery, which was caught on film by security cameras … Continue reading
Veiled Threats: France’s Weaponisation of Secularism Against Muslim Women
In the heart of Europe’s so-called liberal beacon, a quiet but persistent erosion of religious freedom has begun to unfold. France has long been celebrated for its commitment to equality; however, it now finds itself positioned at the centre of … Continue reading
Shrinking the Welfare State, Growing the Authoritarian State: How the Far-Right Reconstructs State Power in Hungary
Anti-state rhetoric has become a popular refrain among far-right anti-establishment politicians promising to “drain the swamp.” Yet once in power, anti-statist parties and politicians often fail to minimize the state as pledged. Instead, as in the case of Hungary’s far-right … Continue reading
The Fluidity of Identity in Conflict: The Second Chechen War
On September 9, 1999, in southern Moscow, 94 people died when explosives laid at the foundation of their apartment building detonated, causing it to collapse. Four days later, another blast killed 118 in another apartment; three days after that, a … Continue reading
When Memes Hurt: Symbolic Violence and Internet Humor in Times of Crisis
While internet memes are often dismissed as harmless entertainment, their humorous nature frequently masks a more troubling reality: they are constructed from symbolic forms — language, images, gestures, and sounds — that are deeply embedded in cultural systems of domination. … Continue reading
Nationalism Without Borders: The Transatlantic Rise of the Right
Nationalism is resurging, transforming the political landscape across the Western world. Over the past decade, right-wing movements have gained ground, challenging liberal democratic norms and reshaping agendas, from trade policy to cultural discourse. In the U.S., Donald Trump has led … Continue reading