Search results

Research seminar co-organized by Louis Carré and Sabina Tortorella as part of the activities of the Esphin Institute, the Department of Philosophy, and the Arcadie Center as well as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie SOCIAL project This seminar sets out to explore contemporary uses of Hegel's practical thought as well as to question its relevance and legacy. Themes central to recent philosophical debates, such as globalization, race, feminism and the Anthropocene, as well as contemporary challenges facing philosophical reflection - such as social justice and ecological transition, state sovereignty in the face of international markets and the emergence of supranational subjects, or the crisis of democracy in the face of the rise of populism and the return of war - may call for a mobilization of Hegelian thought. The aim of this seminar is not necessarily to propose a strictly historical-philosophical reading of Hegelian thought, but rather to seek to take Hegel beyond Hegel himself, by engaging in a reflection on problematics that find their first formulation in him, but that have developed far beyond his conceptual framework, or by questioning his concepts from perspectives that do not necessarily lay claim to Hegelianism. The aim of this approach is to bring Hegel's thought into dialogue with other philosophical traditions and currents of political philosophy, in order to question its ability to shed light on some of the major issues of our time. By questioning its topicality and limitations, this seminar aims to examine what practical Hegelian philosophy can still offer us today, and how it enables us to question our own problems from a renewed angle. While it is unlikely to provide ready-made solutions, it can perhaps help us to ask the right questions and think differently about the tensions of our time.Chiara Magni (Università degli Studi Roma Tre) will speak on the theme: "What rights for the accused and the convicted? Criminal prosecution and human dignity in the light of Hegel's practical philosophy"Link to attend the online seminar Contact: sabina.tortorella@unamur.beThis project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101150961.

We are pleased to invite you, on Thursday June 19, 2025, to Julie Duchêne's lecture on the results of the "Loup, qui es-tu?" project.As part of this lecture, Julie Duchêne (PhD in History UNamur/FNRS FRESH) will present the results of her thesis devoted to the history of the wolf on Walloon and Luxembourg territories from the 18th to the 20th century, shedding new light on the history of the wolf in Wallonia. What were the images of the wolf conveyed by sources during this period? What policies were put in place by the various states to combat this species, until leading to its disappearance in the early 20th century? And, finally, who were the wolves that populated our lands at that time? Finally, Julie will share with the public the results of paleogenetic analyses carried out on a dozen naturalized wolves preserved in partner museums, institutions and venues throughout Wallonia, a project that was a first in Belgium, at the crossroads of history and biology. We hope to see many of you at this event. Welcome to you all! Sign up

Last June, the UNamur Board of Directors officially announced the creation of the Observatoire des Littératures Sauvages (OLSa). Founded in 2022 under the leadership of Denis Saint-Amand, FNRS qualified researcher in the Department of French and Romance Languages and Literatures, this research center studies how literature is constructed outside of books and literary institutions, through alternative objects or channels.

Entitled "A hidden treasure of the BUMP: the Bergeyck archive (13th-19th centuries)", this lecture by Romain Waroquier (Doctor of History - Researcher at centre PraME de l'UNamur) will lift the veil on the riches of the de Bergeyck fonds, a family archive that illustrates, in an unprecedented way, the history of the seigneury of Dhuy, which has been passed down in the same family, heir to the Counts of Namur, since the 13th century.Among these documents are several rare items hitherto unknown to historians, such as a polyptique foncier of which there is only one equivalent in the Mosan area. Exploiting these archives opens a window onto the rural and seigniorial realities of the Middle Ages in this northern corner of the province of Namur that was the seigneury of Dhuy, and whose history Romain Waroquier will retrace for us.Welcome one and all!" Practical information and registration

Critical thinking, the art of productive doubt, can be learned and cultivated. Faced with information overload and the spread of artificial intelligence, it is more important than ever for students to develop this skill throughout their studies. At UNamur, this educational necessity takes many forms. 

The notion of "academic freedom" is often evoked in public debates, but is it really known in its singularity? Where does it come from? What is its history? What decisive role does it play in our democracies and the defense of the university's role as a counter-power? To what extent is it threatened today, particularly by the reforms announced?This morning of reflection, open to all, will explore these questions from a variety of perspectives. Historians, philosophers and jurists will shed light on the subject. Institutional leaders will share their concrete experience and their analysis of the threats that reforms could pose to this essential principle.An organization of the Philosophy Department, the History Department, the ESPHIN Institute in collaboration with the Centre d'Action Laïque Namur.The speakers- Anne-Emmanuelle Bourgaux, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Mons- Nicolas Offenstadt, Professor of History at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne- Quentin Landenne, Qualified Researcher at the FRS-FNRS at the UCLouvain Saint-Louis Brussels, scientific leader of the ERC BildungLearning project- Susanna Zellini, Research Fellow at the FRS-FNRS at UCLouvain Saint-Louis Brussels- Annick Castiaux, Rector of UNamur- Edouard Delruelle, Professor of political philosophy at ULiège; Chargé de mission by the Rectrice of ULiège on "ULiège facing global conflicts".PracticalitiesThéâtre Jardin Passion 39, rue Marie Henriette - 5000 Namur.Free admission - Welcome from 9amAn organization of the Departments of Philosophy and History of the University of Namur and the ESPHIN Institute in collaboration with the Centre d'Action Laïque Namur with the support of the ERC BildungLearning project. I want to register The ERC BildungLearning project is funded by the European Union (n° 101043433). The views and opinions expressed, however, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

On April 8, the Histoire, Sons et Images research center (HiSI, a member of the Institut Patrimoines, Transmissions et Héritages - PaTHs) organized, in collaboration with the "Coalition 8 mai" association, a colloquium on the theme of the relationship between women and the extreme right. Bénédicte Rochet and Axel Tixhon, professors in the History Department, explored this theme from the angle of women active in the Resistance during the 40-45 war. Their approach is fully in line with the research center's vision, which studies audio and/or visual documents as historical sources, but also history as a way of understanding the present.

As part of a research project on the medieval heritage preserved at the Moretus Plantin University Library (BUMP), the archive entrusted to it by the de Brouchoven de Bergeyck family has been meticulously studied by historian Romain Waroquier. This collection is of undeniable historical and scientific interest: hitherto unknown to researchers, it contains extremely rare documents.

Trust of traditional political institutions and elected representatives, rise of authoritarian logics, definition of public services... Democracy today seems to be going through a turbulent zone. What role does the university play in this context? To shed light on this question, we interviewed four researchers from different disciplines: educationalist Sephora Boucenna, philosopher Louis Carré, political scientist Vincent Jacquet and legal scholar Aline Nardi. Their contrasting views sketch out the contours of an issue that is more topical than ever: thinking about and defending the link between university and democracy.