Society

Facets of Resilience conference

DATE: 21–23 November 2022

LOCATION: The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, 17. listopadu 2, Prague 1 (https://goo.gl/maps/9aZfXmCvmMyDjcST6)

The Facets of Resilience conference focuses on the topic of social resilience and its various layers and practical applications. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the principles of general resilience theory, the different areas for which the topic of resilience is relevant today, and the specific practices that strengthen social resilience.

The aim of this three-day gathering is to develop a framework for promoting policies, based on robust scientific knowledge, that bolster social resilience in the face of the most serious challenges affecting us today.

The conference, featuring a number of leading international and national academics and experts, combines different formats of interaction: lectures, panel discussions, participatory workshops, an artistic performance, and open space, focusing on the following areas:

• Resilience of democracy
• Paradigm shifts in the Anthropocene
• Transformations of communities, organisations, and norms
• Resilience of democratic institutions
• Sources of Social Resilience: Trust, Meaning, and Communication
• Social cohesion, care, and human rights
• Poverty and dignity
• Living culture as a tool for social resilience

Conference programme

Day 1. Monday, 21 November 2022

8:45–9:15 Arrival and Registration

9:15–9:45 Welcome Address

Eva Zažímalová, President of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Organizers

9:45–10:30 Keynote Speech and Discussion
Keynote Speaker: David Chandler (University of Westminster)
Chair: Alice Koubová (Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Philosophy)

10:30–11:00 Coffee Break

11:00–12:30 I. Democratic Resilience: Representative Democracy and Democratic Innovations
Panel Chair: Irena Kalhousová (Charles University)
Brigitte Geissel (Goethe University)
Petra Guasti (Czech Academy of Sciences / Charles University)
Rikki J. Dean (Goethe University)
Chris Zebrowski (Loughborough University)

12:30–14:00 Lunch Break

14:00–15:30 II. Paradigmatic Shifts in the Anthropocene
Panel Chair: Julie Mildorfová Leventon (Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Globe)
Kevin Grove (Florida International University)
Jean-Paul Gagnon (University of Canberra)
Amanda Machin (University of Agder)
Michaela Pixová (BOKU – Institute for Development Research)

15:30–16:30 Coffee Break and Informal Discussions

16:30–18:00 III. Transforming Communities, Organizations, and Norms
Panel Chair: Kateřina Machovcová (Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Psychology)
Kateřina Zábrodská (Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Psychology)
Rafael Wittek (University of Groningen)
Bianca Beersma (Institute for Societal Resilience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

18:30–20:30 Evening Reception

* Simultaneous EN–CZ interpretation of the panel discussions will be provided.

Day 2. Tuesday, 22 November 2022

8:45–9:15 Arrival and Registration
9:15–9:45 Opening Remarks
Tomáš Kostelecký, member of the Academy Council, Czech Academy of Sciences
Adéla Šípová, senator, Senate of the Czech Republic

9:45–10:30 Keynote Speech and Discussion
Keynote Speaker: Kateřina Šimáčková (European Court of Human Rights)
Chair: Petra Guasti (Czech Academy of Sciences / Charles University)

10:30–11:00 Coffee Break

11:00–12:30 IV. Resilience of Democratic Institutions / Odolnost demokratických institucí
Panel Chair: Petra Guasti (Czech Academy of Sciences / Charles University)
Lenka Buštíková (University of Oxford)
Ondřej Lánský (Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Philosophy)
Jaroslav Bílek (Charles University)
Zdenka Mansfeldová (Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Sociology)

12:30–14:00 Lunch Break

14:00–15:30 V. Sources of Social Resilience: Trust, Meaning, and Communication / Zdroje Společenské Resilience: Důvěra, Smysl a Komunikace
Panel Chair: Josef Šlerka (Charles University)

Paulína Tabery (Czech Academy of Sciences, Public Opinion Research Centre)
Alena Kluknavská (Masaryk University)
Alice Koubová (Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Philosophy)
Shaul Kimhi (Tel Aviv University, Reswell)

15:30–16:30 Coffee Break and Informal Discussions

16:30–18:00 VI. Social Cohesion, Care, and Human Rights / Společenská koheze, péče a lidská práva
Panel Chair: Petr Polák (Office of the Public Defender of Rights of the Czech Republic)
Klára Laurenčíková (Government Commissioner for Human Rights of the Czech Republic)
Petra Ezzeddine (Charles University)
Lukáš Houdek (journalist, visual artist, human rights activist)
Lucie Hrdá (Law Office LH)

20:30–21:00 Performance lecture: Propojme se včera (in Czech – English synopsis in the playbill)

* Simultaneous CZ–EN interpretation of the panel discussions will be provided.

Day 3. Wednesday, 23 November 2022

13:30–14:30 Closing Round Table & Discussion
Chairs: Alice Koubová and Petra Guasti

Panel Chair I: Irena Kalhousová (Charles University)
Panel Chair II: Julie Mildorfová Leventon (Czech Academy of Sciences, Global Change Research
Institute – CzechGlobe)
Panel Chair III: Kateřina Machovcová (Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Psychology)
Panel Chair IV: Petra Guasti (Czech Academy of Sciences / Charles University)
Panel Chair V: Josef Šlerka (Charles University)
Panel Chair VI: Petr Polák (Office of the Public Defender of Rights of the Czech Republic)

***

PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOPS / PARTICIPATIVNÍ WORKSHOPY – special registration required

9:00–9:30 Organisers: Outlining the agenda of the day (PW1–PW3)

10:00–12:30 Participatory workshops / Participativní workshopy
(PW1 and PW2 in Czech, no simultaneous interpretation)

PW1. Zvyšování společenské odolnosti v Česku v kontextu klimatické a biodiverzitní krize / Strengthening Societal Resilience in Czechia in the Context of Climate and Biodiversity Crisis (Adam Čajka – NaZemi, Anna Kárníková – Hnutí DUHA – Friends of the Earth Czech Republic)

PW2. Od chudoby k důstojnosti: kde hledat odpovědi na zkušenost ekonomické nejistoty
(Kateřina Smejkalová, Lucie Trlifajová, Platforma pro minimální důstojnou mzdu / Friedrich Ebert Stiftung / Centrum pro společenske otázky)

PW3. Play on Rail – performative ride, a different view of the city through the eyes of a regional train passenger (Marta Ljubková and Ondřej David). Learn more here.
(in English, no simultaneous interpretation)

Throughout the Facets of Resilience conference, Kristýna Hrubanová will be conducting graphic facilitation, i.e., a capturing of the dynamics of the proceedings and content of the conference via a visual form, resulting in a progressively emerging visual record which the conference attendees will also be able to contribute to.

Download the conference programme in PDF format here.

The conference will be streamed live on YouTube:

First day of the conference (21 November 2022)

Second day of the conference (22 November 2022)

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions regarding logistics, please send your query to the official conference e-mail forconference@ssc.cas.cz or the conference manager below:

Michaela Martinická
Department of Protocol
Centre of Administration and Operations
of the Czech Academy of Sciences
martinicka@ssc.cas.cz
+420 604 151 874
______________________________________________

Programme Directors

Assoc. Prof. Alice Koubová, Ph.D., Ph.D.
Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
alicekoubova@seznam.cz
+420 723 315 430

PhDr. Petra Guasti, M. A., Ph.D., Dr. habil
Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences
petraguasti@googlemail.com

Facets of Resilience conference footer

How do we make European society more resilient?

Another priority is social resilience (or Resilient Society), which is based on the programme of the same name within the framework of the Strategy AV21 of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), coordinated by the Institute of Philosophy of the CAS. Resilience refers to the ability of a system to cope successfully, or even grow, when facing a crisis, an unexpected or threatening emergency, and/or a change in living conditions. “Such a crisis for society has been the COVID-19 pandemic and, in recent months, the war in Ukraine as well,” says Tomáš Kostelecký from the Academy Council of the CAS.

“The main event will be the Facets of Resilience conference, which I am organising with Petra Guasti and which will take place from 21 to 23 November 2022. We want to instigate a broadscale debate across the scientific community, government institutions, and the public sphere about the fundamental issues of contemporary society,” says Alice Koubová from the Institute of Philosophy of the CAS, the programme coordinator.

Are we resilient enough as a society?

Assoc. Prof. Alice Koubová, from the Institute of Philosophy of the CAS, answers below.

The Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) will focus on three thematic areas during the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU. What activities are you planning as part of the research area you are coordinating?

Our main event will be the Facets of Resilience conference, which I am organising with Petra Guasti from the Institute of Sociology of the CAS. It will take place on 21–23 November 2022. We want to instigate a debate across the scientific community, government institutions, and the public sphere about the fundamental issues of contemporary society. The standard of scientific excellence will be ensured by Czech and international experts alike – including British visual semiotician David Chandler. We’ve also invited representatives of institutions that are key to social resilience, and we will be surveying the Czech environment. We will welcome representatives active in civil society and the field of decision-making to participate in workshops. In an evening performance, the Tantehorse theatre ensemble will perform the results of artistic research on the topic of resilience. We believe that this will deepen the understanding of the topic in Czech society, which in itself constitutes a resilience-enhancing intervention.

The fields of research presented are also the ones which CAS institutes are involved in via the CAS Strategy AV21 research programmes. Is the choice of topics deliberate, not least in order to give them more visibility and to acquire additional forms of support, including funding?

The CAS Strategy AV21 and its programmes have long supported research activities that take public interest into consideration. For years now, these programmes have focused on research that responds to contemporary social challenges. They were selected by the Academy Council in a competitive process and their relevance has been proven. For this reason, it was proposed that the key topics for the Czech Presidency should be selected from among these programmes.

How do you assess the scientific footprint of the Czech Republic in Europe today? How has our membership in the EU helped us in this respect?

Given its scope and level of funding, Czech science has made a significant mark internationally – but most often in the form of exceptional achievements by individual researchers. Czech science would benefit from greater integration of international researchers into our teams and increased support of mobility. We could then operate on a broader and more systematic scale within the networks of European research. We Czech researchers are valued by our colleagues as partners in European projects, but we should also strive to lead and coordinate Horizon Europe and ERC projects in the Czech Republic to a greater extent.

Will it be more difficult in the coming months and years to promote research priorities on a pan-European scale? Or could this be, conversely, an opportunity to convince politicians to invest more resources in science and research?

In times of crises, it is always useful to focus on the public interest. Politicians do not invest their personal resources in science and research. Politicians have the task of allocating the resources entrusted to them so that we as a society are able to endure the crises ahead of us as efficiently and therefore as cheaply as possible. It is undoubtedly less expensive to invest in prevention and in increasing our preparedness for the future – to which science, including the social sciences and humanities, makes a massive contribution – than to fund the drastically more costly consequences of problems left unaddressed. In a time of disinformation and information overload, politicians should be aware of how much science acts as a credible beacon in the public interest. At the same time, science should explicitly focus on increasing competence in problem-solving in society and should in this context promote the relevance of all scientific fields indiscriminately. Researchers must also communicate their results, as well as their methodology, clearly to the public.