These seminars will examine how current institutional, economic, environmental, and migration-related tensions are transforming and challenging the way our democratic systems function.

Designed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange, these initiatives will focus on advanced methodological approaches, particularly in the fields of natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence (AI), video and image analysis, and multimodal analysis.

Early-career researchers 

It offers PhD students who are members of the Institute the opportunity to present their research in a supportive and interdisciplinary setting.

• October 23, 2025: Emma Bourcelet (Law) in collaboration with ELSA Namur - Online sexual exploitation: balancing child protection and user privacy
• March 19, 2025: Margaux Thiry (Law) - Medical liability law in light of patients’ fundamental rights
• April 14, 2026: Louise Salladin (Sociology) – to be confirmed
• May 12, 2026: Nathalie Vanaubel (Political Science) – to be confirmed

Political Luncheons

• October 23, 2025: André Sapir - The economic impact on Europe of global geopolitical changes
• December 4, 2025: Jérémy Dodeigne – The Rise of Political Polarization and Violence in Democratic Countries
• December 11, 2025: Boris Najman – European Countries’ Stances on the War in Ukraine

Ages

They will examine how age intersects with other forms of discrimination in our current societies, giving rise to a wide range of situations, experiences, and lived realities at different stages of the life course. Held monthly and primarily aimed at sociology researchers, the seminars will regularly be open to other members of the Institute. This year, these seminars will be coordinated by Romane Lecharlier (sociology) and Louise Salladin (sociology).

• October 23, 2025: Julie Aglave (Research Assistant and PhD student at UCLouvain) – Professional Rebirth: Characterizing the Multidimensional Process Underlying a Mid-Career Career Shift
• November 19, 2025 (2:00–4:00 PM) Room E41: Marc Zune (Lecturer and researcher in the sociology of work at UCLouvain) – The sociology of professions through the work of Andrew Abbott. 
• January 20, 2026 – Éléonore Robinson (Assistant Professor and PhD student, UNamur) – The End of IT Professionals’ Careers Through the Lens of Life Courses. 
•  May 22, 2026 – Nathalie Burnay (Full Professor, University of Namur and UCLouvain (BE), Department of Social, Political, and Communication Sciences) - From an ethics of care to an ethos of care.