Conference - The elimination of unemployment benefits: What are the impacts and what recourse is available?
Program and speakers
Explanation of the reform - Mr. La TorreMain changes relating to the abolition of unemployment benefits and their implementation. The standstill obligation - S. RemouchampsLegal and constitutional analysis of the reform in light of the principle of non-regression.Judicial perspective on the reform - Mr. SimonOverview of certain contentious issues and possible avenues of appeal for citizens deprived of their rights.Right to RIS and/or social assistance - A. MichelThe process of submitting an application to the CPAS.
Registrations
Registration is required via https://www.ajn.be (payment confirms registration).Advance registration fee (payment by January 23, 2026): €40 (€20 for trainee lawyers)Standard price for payments received after January 23, 2026: €50 (€25 for trainee lawyers)Free for students (enter a student email address or send a copy of your student card)Payment to bank account BE16 6301 8124 6074 - AJN AsblReference: "29-01-2026 + participant's name."Accreditation request pending for IFJ, OBFG, and IJE. Further information: ajn@unamur.be.
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Conference - The Ombudsman: Administrative Mediation
Program
1001 questions about the Ombudsman - How can administrative mediation be used as an effective tool for dispute resolution?The scope and added value of administrative mediationThe matters in which the Ombudsman can interveneThe types of disputes concerned and the concrete solutions you can obtain.Taking a resolutely practical approach, our two experts explain when and why to call on the Ombudsman, how to initiate administrative mediation, and how to make it an effective tool for quickly resolving your disputes!SpeakersNicolas Lagasse | Joint Mediator for Wallonia and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation; President of the Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of La Francophonie (AOMF); member of the Belgian network of mediatorsBenoit Havet | Lawyer at the Walloon Brabant Bar, specializing in urban planning, environmental, and real estate law; lecturer at the ULB and UMons
Registrations
Registration is required via https://www.ajn.be (payment confirms registration).Advance registration fee (payment before February 20, 2026): €40 (€30 for trainees)Price after February 20, 2026: €50 (€40 for interns)Free for students upon presentation of student IDAccreditation request in progress for IFJ, OBFG, FRNB, and IJE. Further information: ajn@unamur.be.
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International Conference - Beyond the State: New Perspectives on the Conceptual Relationships Between Constitution and Society
Constitutionalism, understood as a means of establishing a political autonomous from society, is seen as having constructed the opposition between the State and society. At the same time, the concept of constitutionalism is increasingly being used to describe other forms of social power and normativity – such as the economy, finance, digital, technologies, media, environment – even though the concrete and theoretical implications of these shifts have not always been fully clarified. More recent trends have emerged within the framework of socio-constitutionalism or societal constitutionalism to challenge the reduction of constitutional issues to state-individual relations, acknowledging the complexity of power. Despite their heterogeneity in assumptions, as well as in their descriptive, normative, and theoretical dimensions, these approaches have contributed to renewing the inquiry into the relationship between constitution and society. The purpose of the conference is to assess the current boundaries of constitutionalism and to explore theoretical proposals seeking to overcome them. These approaches raise several fundamental questions: What role should be granted to social actors and sectors within constitutionalism? How can their normative autonomy be acknowledged while also regulating their private power and expansionist tendencies? To what extent do these transformations challenge traditional forms of politics? At what cost might the relationship between constitution and society be reconsidered today?
Program
January 299:00 a.m. Welcome9:30-10:00 Introduction: Manon Altwegg-Boussac (Paris-Est Creteil University/IUF) and Sabina Tortorella (MSCA/University of Namur)From State to Society: New Challenges for ConstitutionalismChair: Isabelle Aubert (Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne University)10:00-10:30 Thomas Boccon-Gibod (Grenoble Alpes University): Relationships between Constitution and Society10:30-11:00 Simone Mao Zhenting (Harvard University): Constitutionalizing Society in an Age of Fragmented Authority: From State-Centrism to Social Constitutional Norms11:00-11:30 Discussion11:30-12:00 Coffee Break12:00-12:30 Angelo Jr Golia (Luiss Guido Carli): Societal Constitutionalism and General Theory of Law (beyond the State): Norm, Order, Interpretation12:30-12:45 Discussion12:45-14:30 LunchMoving Beyond the Nation-State: Theoretical PerspectivesChair: Eleonora Bottini (Sciences Po)2:30-3:00 p.m. Jean-François Kervégan (Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne University): Politics below and beyond the State: Schmitt and Kojève in Comparative Perspective3:00-3:30 p.m. Paul Linden-Retek (University at Buffalo School of Law): Postnational Society and its Law3:30-4:00 Discussion4:00-4:30 p.m. Coffee BreakNew Conceptual Tools: Alterity and DerogationChair: Eleonora Bottini (Sciences Po)4:30-5:00 p.m. Horatia Muir Watt (Sciences Po): On the Borderline (and beyond the State): Ontologizing Alterity on the Terms of the Law5:00-5:30 p.m. Raffaele Bifulco (Luiss Guido Carli): Derogation as Legal Response to Social Differentiation5:30-6:00 p.m. Discussion6:00 p.m. DinnerJanuary 309:00 a.m. WelcomeMapping Sectoral Constitutions: Case StudiesChair: Sabina Tortorella (MSCA/University of Namur)9:30-10:00 Francesco Martucci (Panthéon-Assas University): Trust and Distrust. State, Society, and Money in the Digital Era10:00-10:30 Nefeli Lefkopoulou (Sciences Po): Exploring Constitutional Narratives in Meta’s Oversight Board: Replicating or Renewing Traditional Constitutionalism?10:30-11:00 Discussion11:00-11:30 Coffee Break11:30-12:00 Manuela Niehaus (University of Administrative Sciences Speyer): Global Climate Constitutionalism beyond the State?12:00-12:30 Mathilde Laporte (Pau University): The Debated Protection of Constitutional Rights within Social Orders beyond the State. The Example of Gated Communities12:30-1:00 p.m. Discussion1:00-2:30 p.m. LunchCritical Insights: Take the Leap?Chair: Manon Altwegg-Boussac (Paris-Est Creteil University/IUF)2:30-3:00 p.m. Chris Thornhill (University of Birmingham): The Military in Sociological Constitutionalism3:00-3:15 Discussion3:15-3:45 p.m. Coffee Break3:45-4:15 p.m. Jörn Reinhardt (Fulda University of Applied Sciences): Regression and Progress in Constitutionalism beyond the State4:15-4:45 p.m. Martin Loughlin (LSE): The Concept of Constitution4:45-5:15 Discussion5:15 p.m. Cocktail
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The warlike desires of modernity
After a presentation of the book, Déborah V. Brosteaux will be interviewed by Thibault De Meyer and Vivien Giet.Free admission. Everyone is welcome.Book presentationFaced with the wars in which European countries are involved, we constantly oscillate between numbness and frenzy. Some war situations give rise to emotional heatedness, a "renewed" psychic and social energy, while others are barely mentioned, relegated to the background. This philosophical investigation delves into the ambivalence of our relationship to war, which is at the heart of the sensitive history of modernity.Inspired by the writings of Walter Benjamin, W. G. Sebald, and Klaus Theweleit, the book explores these warlike emotions throughout the 20th century and questions their legacy: the coldness of distancing, the denial of the ruins after 1945, the desire to intensify the experience of self, which mobilized the imagination in 1914-1918 and was swallowed up in the trenches... even mutating into fascist passions that actively fed on the devastation.Déborah V. Brosteaux takes these desires seriously, including their appeal. And she asks: what emotional transformations can be activated to resist the mobilization of war?
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William Lejeune: a first step between two shores of the Atlantic
The result of the historic twinning between the cities of Namur and Lafayette, the collaboration between UNamur and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has taken on a new academic dimension in recent years. Formalized in 2022 with the signing of a framework agreement, this partnership has given rise to a mobility program aimed at strengthening the use of French and Francophonie within both universities. In 2026, this cooperation took concrete form with the arrival in Namur of William Lejeune, a second-year speech therapy student and the first Cajun student to benefit from this program, supported in particular by a grant from the Lafayette Foundation. Between cultural discovery, linguistic challenges, and academic ambitions, he recounts his experience on the other side of the Atlantic.
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Symposium - Domestic violence: understanding, naming, acting. An interdisciplinary and systemic approach
Organized by the Children's Rights Unit of the Vulnerabilities & Societies Center.
Information and registration
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Medicine and literature: when words can also heal
On February 21, the University of Namur hosted the symposium "Medicine and Literature," organized by the History of Medicine and Health Sciences Group, with the support of the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium. Nearly 70 participants gathered at the Faculty of Medicine for a particularly open and stimulating day of reflection, devoted to the deep and ancient links between medical practices and literary creation.
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Student Life at the UNamur Faculty of Law
Studying law at UNamur is not just about attending classes and passing exams. It’s also about getting involved in student life, meeting other law enthusiasts, developing personal and professional skills, and making the most of your college years.At the UNamur Faculty of Law, several dynamic student organizations bring the campus to life and offer everyone the opportunity to get involved, express themselves, and build lasting connections.On this page, discover student life at the UNamur Law School!
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When photography explores the (geo)political, economic, and environmental issues surrounding nuclear power
Between the risks of “globocide” and the long-term management of nuclear waste, nuclear power embodies the anxieties of our time while remaining largely invisible in public discourse. Based on FNRS research led by Danielle Leenaerts, a lecturer in the Department of Archaeology and Art Sciences, a three-part project comprising an exhibition, a book, and an interdisciplinary study day offers a unique insight into how Belgian and international artists depict nuclear power.
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Cooperation between the UNamur School of Law and Burkina Faso
Since 2021, the Faculty of Law at the University of Namur has been engaged in a fruitful collaboration with Thomas Sankara University and the Ouagadougou Bar Association in Burkina Faso. This cooperation with Burkina Faso aims to strengthen the academic and professional capacities of the Burkinabe partners by addressing their priority needs.
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Romain Gary: from humanism to ecology
As part of its seminar, Centre Arcadie will be pleased to welcome Igor Krtolica for a session devoted to his book Romain Gary. De l'humanisme à l'écologie, Gallimard, 2025.Maître de conférences en philosophie à l'Université de Picardie Jules-Verne, junior member of the Institut universitaire de France, Igor Krtolica is the author (in addition to the work to be discussed) of Gilles Deleuze (PUF, coll. "Que sais-je? ", 2015), of Gilles Deleuze et Félix Guattari : Une philosophie des devenirs-révolutionnaires(Éditions Amsterdam, 2024) and of a commentary on an extract from Romain Gary's Les Racines du ciel entitled Antifascism, humanism and ecology (PUF, coll. "Classiques de l'écologie", 2025).After a presentation of the work, Igor Krtolica will be interviewed by Jean-Baptiste Vuillerod and Thibault De Meyer.Free admission. All welcome.Book presentation 1956: the Prix Goncourt is awarded to Racines du ciel, a novel whose hero, Morel, fights against the extermination of elephants in an Africa struggling for independence. Romain Gary described it as the first ecological novel. Ecology enabled him to resolve the unbearable political contradiction in which the post-war West finds itself: the impossibility of believing in man, the impossibility of giving up believing in man. How can we continue to give meaning to the idea of civilization? If we are to maintain the humanist ideal, we need to wage a battle in which man is no longer at the center. Such is the paradox explored here. This literary and philosophical essay reveals the complexity of Romain Gary's thought, his constant irony and humor, his contradictions, his rejection of dogmatism. And its modernity: ahead of his time, the novelist anticipated the controversies driving contemporary ecological thinking, where the human being is only a part of nature, but where nature itself becomes inseparable from history, society and politics. This previously unpublished synthesis of Romain Gary's work is an original analysis of the tension between humanist commitment and ecological cause..
Toutes les activités du Centre Arcadie
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Zones: land, gender and science fiction
As part of its seminar, Centre Arcadie will be pleased to welcome Jeanne Etelain for a session devoted to her book Zones. Terre, sexes et science-fiction, Flammarion, 2025.Jeanne Etelain, PhD from New York University and Université Paris-Nanterre, teaches philosophy and contemporary theory at the École supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Montpellier.After a presentation of the book, Igor Krtolica will be interviewed by Jean-Baptiste Vuillerod and Thibault De Meyer.After a presentation of the book, Jeanne Etelain will be interviewed by Ludovic Dubois, Nathalie Grandjean and Sébastien Laoureux.Free admission. Welcome to all.Book presentation Zone: this ubiquitous term nevertheless remains elusive. In a stunning conceptual investigation at the crossroads of geography, psychoanalysis and science fiction, Jeanne Etelain explores how "zone" has become central to understanding space, in the contemporary context of a crisis in the planet's conditions of habitability. The zone thus emerges as a spatial modality that defies habitual categories, confronting us with space's power to act, whether it's nature, the Earth or the body.
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