On 23 June 2016, the UK votes in a referendum on the question whether we should leave or remain in the European Union. Mirroring to some extent the campaign on the Scottish referendum in 2014, this has resulted in an increase of activity intended to help people inform themselves better about the EU: What does it do? How does it work? What does the UK gain or lose from membership?
IASH’s pop up forum on Identity, Community and Place complements these activities by delving behind the headlines to ask what the implications of the referendum might be for who we are and how we understand ourselves and our communities. It explores the historical, cultural and political contexts of the referendum, rather than rehearsing the arguments for or against membership. It brings together people who work on some of these questions, in a Q&A format that will maximise audience participation.
Dr Alex Campbell is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and a SSHRC (Canada) Postdoctoral Fellow at Queen’s University in Ontario. His interests include the history of intellectual culture in the early modern period.
The Most Rev David Chillingworth is Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Bishop Chillingworth has already contributed to this debate by reflecting on the how modern Europeans negotiate complex identities.
Professor Laura Cram is Professor of European Politics and Director of NRLabs Neuropolitics Research at the University of Edinburgh. She is director of a project which is exploring how the debate on the EU is being framed and reframed in the twitter-sphere (@myimageoftheEU) and has explored the role of empathy and belonging in the UK referendum debate.
Christine Hübner is a researcher at German d|part, a Think Tank for Political Participation and a doctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh. The research that she and colleagues have undertaken on attitudes towards the UK referendum across other EU Member States has received wide attention right across Europe.
The panel will be moderated by Jo Shaw, Salvesen Chair of European Institutions at the University of Edinburgh, and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities.
The evening will conclude with a wine reception.
Registration is essential. Click here to go to the EventBrite page where tickets can be booked.
The twitter hashtag for the evening’s event is #EUIASH
This event is co-sponsored by the Edinburgh Europa Institute which organises events and runs a blog which seek to inform the debate about the UK’s European future.