Posted on 22 March 2012
In the framework of the Debating Europe discussion series, Professor Paul Scheffer from Tilburg University gives a lecture entitled "The Open Society and its Immigrants. Avoidance, Conflict and Accommodation in Europe".
The Lecture takes place in the Sala del Capitolo, Badia Fiesolana, on Wednesday 28 March at 17.00. SPS Professor Rainer Bauböck will serve as discussant of the event, which will be followed by a reception.
Paul Scheffer is a philosopher and publicist as well as a leading and controversial thinker on the issues of multiculturalism and immigration. He is currently Professor of European Studies at Tilburg University and he studied psychology and political science in Nijmegen, Amsterdam and Paris. Scheffer is a member of the Dutch Labour Party and was responsible for European policy at the party’s research institute. Between 2003 and 2011, he was Professor of Urban Questions at the University of Amsterdam. He writes columns and essays for the daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad and publishes in several European papers and magazines, such as Die Zeit, De Morgen, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Politiken and El Pais. In 2000, he wrote the essay Het multiculturele drama ("The multicultural drama"), which was highly influential in shaping the debate on multiculturalism and immigration in the Netherlands and in Europe; his latest book Immigrant Nations (Polity, 2011) is on migration in Europe and America.
Debating Europe is a new pillar of the EUI’s activities, focused on debating the process of European integration and the major issues confronting contemporary European society. In line with the Convention setting up the EUI, this programme will be a primary platform for the exchange and discussion of ideas and experiences. Debating Europe is conceptualised as a high-level initiative that reflects on – and impacts – the European policy debate, and that enables the EUI to contribute to this debate.
Register for the event