Conversations On Europe (Archive Collection)

Conversations On Europe connects top experts from around the United States and Europe to discuss contemporary issues facing Europe and the Transatlantic relationship. Using both personal and institutional videoconference technology, panelists take questions and interact with audiences at Pitt and at remote sites in the US and Europe. Conversations On Europe is free and open to the public. A complete library of video resources to enhance transatlantic conversations is also now available.  In addition, you can view the full Playlist for Conversations on Europe on the Pitt Global Channel of YouTube. Please note, however, that the supplemental materials are only available by clicking on the topics listed below.

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

With thanks to our co-sponsoring partners in the network of Jean Monnet Centers in the U.S.A, especially: the Miami-Florida Jean Monnet European Center of Excellence at Florida International University; the EU Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne; the Center for European Studies at the University of Florida; the Center for European Studies at the University of Texas – Austin; and the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology

We welcome your feedback on these videos and the Conversations on Europe series. Please take our survey.

European Year of Skills: What's the Future of Labor Security in Europe?

MODERATOR: Randall Halle, University of Pittsburgh

Panelists:

Jane Gingrich, University of Oxford
Stefan Olsson, Deputy Director General, European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Jamie Woodcock, University of Essex

The EU declared 2023 the Year of Skills to bring attention to the challenges the contemporary workforce faces and to the European responses. It is indeed a period of transition in labor, with no little unrest. The Yellow Vest strikes are perhaps the best known of the strikes that have taken place recently in Europe. This Conversation on Europe (CoE) considers the state of labor and the security of employment. In conversation with our panelists, we will consider labor struggles, the disruption of historical industries, the insecurity caused by inflation, energy scarcity, and AI. We will consider the future in Europe of the developing culturally diverse workforce? And we will hear about EU level initiatives to develop skilled workers for the 21st century.

 

 

Climate Change and Migration-What Can the US Learn from Europe?

As North and Central America increasingly experience climate change and disasters (fires, hurricanes, drought, rising waters from the Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean), the US has come to realize what our European colleagues have been experiencing as they have been at the forefront of the accelerating trend of global displacement related to climate change. The panel will be an informal discussion of how Europe’s experience with climate change and migrants can inform the United States.

MODERATOR:
Mary Rauktis
University of Pittsburgh

PANELISTS:
Carla Malafaia
University of Porto, Portugal

Cosmin Nada
University of Porto, Portugal

Sheila Velez Martinez
School of Law, University of Pittsburgh

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

This video has been funded with the assistance of both the European Commission (through the Erasmus + Programme) and the US Department of Education. The contents of this video are the sole responsibility of the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the U.S. government or the European Union.

Co-support provided by the International Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Erasmus + Programme. Views and opinions expressed are those of the individual panelists and do not reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the European Union.

Climate Change: Perspectives from France and Italy

In the last few years, we have seen an increasing international awareness of the challenges facing the interaction between human populations and a changing environment. In France and Italy, these issues have in fact occupied a really important role in philosophical, social and political debates and initiatives for at least five decades. Our panelists will offer a diverse and far-reaching presentation of their own involvement with the research and initiatives presently occurring in Italy and France.

MODERATOR:
Giuseppina Mecchia
University of Pittsburgh

PANELISTS:
Yves Citton
Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint Denis, France

Daniela Fargione
University of Turin, Italy

Giuseppina Mecchia
University of Pittsburgh

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

We would appreciate your feedback on these videos and the Conversations on Europe series. Please see our survey at: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/fo...

For more resources and readings related to this session or any of our past sessions, go to: https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/esc/events/coe

This video has been funded with the assistance of both the European Commission (through the Erasmus + Programme) and the US Department of Education. The contents of this video are the sole responsibility of the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the U.S. government or the European Union.

Co-support provided by the International Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Erasmus + Programme. Views and opinions expressed are those of the individual panelists and do not reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the European Union.

Legacies and Manifestations of Irish Nationalism and Irish National Identity in the EU and the UK in the Context of Brexit

Ireland’s relationships with Europe have safeguarded features of national identity from the early twentieth century to the present as the region negotiated its long-standing and historically fraught relationship with the United Kingdom.  In recent years, Ireland’s role in the EU has further solidified these regional relationships as a counterpoint to its tangled politics with the UK, especially in complex concepts of national identity in Northern Ireland.  In the midst of ongoing political tumult in the UK and the complexity of Britain’s extraction from the EU through Brexit, what does Irish nationalism look like today north and south of the border? 

This panel was organized and moderated by Professor Jennifer Keating, Department of English, Pitt organized and moderated the panel discussion.

PANELISTS:
Garrett Carr
Seamus Heaney Center, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland

John Carson
Carnegie Mellon University

Mairéad McClean
Artist and Filmmaker, from Bath, England, and Northern Ireland

Eve Patten
Director of the Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Professor Patten discusses ongoing relationships between the Long Room Hub, its resident artists and scholars and governmental grant programs at Trinity College.  Mairéad McClean discusses her recent Beyond 22 residency supported by the Decade of Centenaries grant to undertake work with the Irish Archives and the Long Room Hub and her exhibition “Here,” at Belfast Exposed in Northern Ireland.  Garrett Carr discusses his book, The Rule of the Land:  Walking Ireland’s Border. Professor Carson provides commentary.

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

We would appreciate your feedback on these videos and the Conversations on Europe series. Please see our survey at: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/fo...

For more resources and readings related to this session or any of our past sessions, go to: https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/esc/events/coe

This video has been funded with the assistance of both the European Commission (through the Erasmus + Programme) and the US Department of Education. The contents of this video are the sole responsibility of the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the U.S. government or the European Union.

Co-support provided by the International Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Erasmus + Programme. Views and opinions expressed are those of the individual panelists and do not reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the European Union.

The State of Democracy in Europe

This panel considers several aspects of the current state of democracy in Europe, with special attention to the rise of right-wing populism, illiberal forms of democracy, declining party loyalty, and evidence of increasing disenchantment with the current state of democracy in Europe.  The panel will seek to discuss these issues with the help of a broad comparative and historical perspective.

Professors Mohammed Bamyeh and John Markoff, Department of Sociology, Pitt, organized the panel and Professor Bamyeh moderated it.

PANELISTS:
Timm Beichelt
Professor of Social and Cultural Sciences, Viadrina University, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany

Donatella della Porta
Dean of the Faculty of Political and Social Science, Scuola Normale Superiore, Florence, Italy

Jae-Jae Spoon
Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

We would appreciate your feedback on these videos and the Conversations on Europe series. Please see our survey at: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/fo...

For more resources and readings related to this session or any of our past sessions, go to: https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/esc/events/coe

This video has been funded with the assistance of both the European Commission (through the Erasmus + Programme) and the US Department of Education. The contents of this video are the sole responsibility of the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the U.S. government or the European Union.

Co-support provided by the International Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Erasmus + Programme. Views and opinions expressed are those of the individual panelists and do not reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the European Union.

Insights Into European Elections: Sweden, Italy, and Denmark

Political scientists from Denmark, Italy, Sweden, and the United States shed light on the results of recent elections in Europe.  This includes discussions on the transformations of European social democratic parties, the rise of right-wing populism, and how these impact European Union politics.

MODERATOR:
Jae-Jae Spoon
University of Pittsburgh

PANELISTS
Andrea Ceron
University of Milan

Timothy Hellwig
Indiana University, Bloomington

Maria Solevid
University of Gothenburg

Rune Stubager
Aarhus University

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

We would appreciate your feedback on these videos and the Conversations on Europe series.  Please see our survey at: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0x5l0NHN4btbAQR

This video has been funded with the assistance of both the European Commission (through the Erasmus + Programme) and the US Department of Education. The contents of this video are the sole responsibility of the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the U.S. government or the European Union.

Co-support provided by the International Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Erasmus + Programme. Views and opinions expressed are those of the individual panelists and do not reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the European Union.

Business after the Fall: Challenges of East German Companies

When thinking of German businesses, we usually mean West German ones.  To add nuance to this perspective, this conversation focuses on the East German economy and on a successful East Germany company that had to restart after 1989 when Communism fell and the German government privatized thousands of companies.  While some did not succeed, the numerous stories of those that thrived are often overlooked.

MODERATOR:
Jan Musenkamp
University of Pittsburgh

PANELISTS:
Wendy Carlin
University College of London

Florian Mezger
Carl Zeiss, AG

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

We would appreciate your feedback on these videos and the Conversations on Europe series.  Please see our survey at: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0x5l0NHN4btbAQR

This video has been funded with the assistance of both the European Commission (through the Erasmus + Programme) and the US Department of Education. The contents of this video are the sole responsibility of the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the U.S. government or the European Union.

Co-support provided by the International Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Erasmus + Programme. Views and opinions expressed are those of the individual panelists and do not reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the European Union.

The UK After Boris

The Prime Minister of the U.K., Boris Johnson, was forced to step down on September 6 after a mass resignation of his ministers.  This panel of British experts discusses his successor and the likely effects on the Conservative Party.

MODERATOR:
Jae-Jae Spoon
University of Pittsburgh

PANELISTS:
Tim Bale
Queen Mary University of London

Robert Ford
University of Manchester

Jane Green
University of Oxford

Robert Johns
University of Essex

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

We would appreciate your feedback on these videos and the Conversations on Europe series.  Please see our survey at: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0x5l0NHN4btbAQR

This video has been funded with the assistance of both the European Commission (through the Erasmus + Programme) and the US Department of Education. The contents of this video are the sole responsibility of the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the U.S. government or the European Union.

Co-support provided by the International Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Erasmus + Programme. Views and opinions expressed are those of the individual panelists and do not reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the European Union.

The French Election - What is at Stake?

On April 10th, France will hold a presidential election putting ideologies, personalities, and the future of France on the ballot. A run-off will be held on April 24th if no one secures a majority. The last Conversations on Europe for the 2021-22academic year will focus on the ramifications of this election's outcome, how Russia's invasion of Ukraine will impact the election, and how this can shape the next decade not only of France but of Europe as a whole.

PANELISTS:
Jean Beaman
University of California, Santa Barbara

Arthur Goldhammer
Center for European Studies, Harvard University

Philippe Marliere
University College London

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

We would appreciate your feedback on these videos and the Conversations on Europe series.  Please see our survey at: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0x5l0NHN4btbAQR

This video has been funded with the assistance of both the European Commission (through the Erasmus + Programme) and the US Department of Education. The contents of this video are the sole responsibility of the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the U.S. government or the European Union.

Co-support provided by the International Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Erasmus + Programme. Views and opinions expressed are those of the individual panelists and do not reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the European Union.

Reckoning with the Past III Reparations

Colonialism in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries left legacies of violence, displacement, and economic underdevelopment with which European states and countries formerly under European control continue to reckon. How are damages calculated? Will restitution and recompense lead to reconciliation and social justice? Join us for a discussion of the transnational politics and history of reparations.

PANELISTS:
Joshua Kwesi Aikins
Human Rights Activist/Public Scholar

Wes Alcenat
Fordham University

Verene A. Shepherd
Centre for Reparation Research, The University of the West Indies

Claire Greenstein
University of Alabama at Birmingham

The series is intended to present a broad range of views and opinions about topics relevant to Europe. The views expressed are those of the presenters and cannot be taken to represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Government nor the European Union.

We would appreciate your feedback on these videos and the Conversations on Europe series.  Please see our survey at: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0x5l0NHN4btbAQR

This video has been funded with the assistance of both the European Commission (through the Erasmus + Programme) and the US Department of Education. The contents of this video are the sole responsibility of the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the U.S. government or the European Union.

Co-support provided by the International Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Erasmus + Programme. Views and opinions expressed are those of the individual panelists and do not reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the European Union.