How can we persevere in a time when progress has stalled, when the ghosts of the past weigh heavily upon us, and when no resolution is in sight? To persist – not as a moral stance or a capitalist imperative, but rather as a way of opening the possibility of a new temporality from which it may become possible to rethink our own Zeitgeist.

The new book On Persistence by Canadian philosopher and comparatist Rebecca Comay bears witness to such persistence in the face of the ruins of the past, which keep us in a state of perpetual mourning – a deadlock that may perhaps be broken not through action, but through the concept itself. Rebecca Comay is the author of several exceptional monographs, most notably Mourning Sickness: Hegel and the French Revolution (Stanford University Press, 2011) and The Dash – The Other Side of Absolute Knowing (co-authored with Frank Ruda; MIT Press, 2018).

Dr Mirt Komel, philosopher and writer at the Department of Cultural Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, will be in conversation with the guest. The event is organised in collaboration with the Aufhebung International Hegelian Association.

Rebecca Comay is professor of philosophy and comparative literature, a core member of the Literature and Critical Theory Program (Victoria College), and an associate member of the Germanic Languages and Literatures Department and the Centre for Jewish Studies. Her research interests include Hegel and 19th century German philosophy; theatricality; Marx and Marxism (including Frankfurt school); psychoanalysis; contemporary French philosophy; trauma and memory; iconoclasm and destruction of art; contemporary art and art criticism; Proust and Beckett. She is currently working on a book on the temporality of deadlines, as well as a project on dramaturgy and dialectic.
 

We will be joined by Blaž Šef, Jasmina Jerant and a surprise guest.

We will be joined by Sašo Jerše, Renata Salecl and a surprise guest.

We will be joined by Dan Podjed, Katarina Morano and a surprise guest.

The fourth guest in the series is Kristian Novak, one of Croatia’s most prominent contemporary authors. Through his novels, the writer, linguist and university professor has shaped a distinctive literary world closely linked to the Međimurje region, its languages, memories and social tensions. His writing is marked by strong narrative power, a keen sensitivity to linguistic nuance and deep insight into the individual psyche and the formative forces of community.

At the heart of his work are questions of belonging, identity and responsibility. Through the stories of complex and compelling characters, Novak explores how the past shapes the present and how family, environment and community influence human decisions and divergent life paths. A distinctive feature of his prose is the ability to connect local experiences with universal themes, which is why his work resonates with a broader transnational readership.

The novels Črna mati zemla (“Dark Mother Earth”) and Ciganin, ali najljepši (“Gypsy, But the Fairest of Them All”) have consolidated his status as one of the most recognisable voices in contemporary Croatian literature. His style is characterised by psychological depth, narrative dynamism and a flair for suspense, guiding the reader through complex, multilayered stories that offer no easy answers.
 

The Vegetarian, originally published in 2007, is a novel by the South Korean author Han Kang, recipient of both the International Booker Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Slovenian edition was translated by Urša Zabukovec, who worked from the Spanish edition while consulting other translations.

The novel centres on a seemingly simple decision with far-reaching consequences. It follows a woman whose decision to stop eating meat unwittingly exposes tensions and misunderstandings within her family. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of three narrators, each revealing the consequences of the protagonist's rejection of her expected role. As the story progresses, a portrait emerges of a family unable to come to terms with otherness, and of an individual struggling to survive her inner turmoil.

Maša Jelušič and Andrej Blatnik will discuss Han Kang's novel with David Zupančič, physician, writer and one of Slovenia's leading science communicators. An infectious disease specialist at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, he is the author of the bestselling books Življenje v sivi coni ("Life in the Grey Zone"), Znanost mirnega življenja ("The Science of a Peaceful Life") and V mejah normale ("Within the Limits of Normalcy"), as well as the podcast Umetnost lenarjenja ("The Art of Idling").

Widely recognised for his ability to explain complex subjects with clarity and insight, Zupančič is an ideal discussion partner for a novel that explores psychological and social tensions while also touching on questions surrounding vegetarianism.

South Korean writer Han Kang is known for her uncompromising exploration of pain, violence and historical trauma. Her works, including The Vegetarian, Human Acts and We Do Not Part, combine poetic language with unflinching honesty.
In South Korea, she is widely regarded as a symbol of artistic integrity, recognised for her refusal to yield to political pressure and her commitment to artistic independence. Her Nobel Prize has also been celebrated as a landmark achievement for Korean literature as a whole, a literary tradition that has long grappled with historical trauma and social upheaval.
 

The dynamics and social role of conspiracy theories have undergone an interesting shift. Once flourishing primarily as a subcultural phenomenon on the margins of society, where they generated narratives of corruption, manipulation, and hidden mechanisms of power, conspiracy theories have increasingly been appropriated by political actors who already wield considerable authority and influence. Power presents itself as a dangerous subculture that, even while occupying positions of political dominance, continues to struggle against some other, “true” power; it builds its legitimacy on the notion that it is itself the victim of hidden forces. The lecture will explore the ways in which conspiracy theories today function as an internal mechanism of power itself. At the same time, it will critically examine the limits and impotence of the standard liberal response, which assumes that such practices can be exposed, countered, and discredited simply by recognising them and labelling them “conspiracy theories”. The lecture will also raise the question of what social reality is inscribed in the very form of conspiracy theory. 


Dr Alenka Zupančič is a philosopher and social theorist, employed as a senior researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. As a visiting professor, she regularly lectures at the European Graduate School in Switzerland and at universities around the world. She has gained international recognition for her work at the intersection of philosophy and psychoanalysis and has published numerous scholarly articles and several influential books. Her latest book, Disavowal (2024), explores, among other themes, the logic and political dynamics of conspiracy theories.
 

What role does secrecy play in contemporary democracies? How much secrecy can an open society tolerate? Although transparency and accountability are perceived as fundamental values of ideal democratic institutions, we know that things are much more complicated. Secrets are all around us, not as exceptions to the necessity of transparency, but as an unavoidable lubricant of the social engine. We are afraid of secrets, and we love them at the same time. This ambivalent, morbid relationship with secrecy is nowhere more evident than in the current vogue of popular conspiracy theories, which are often associated with esoteric practices and ideas. The popularity of conspiracy theories shows that the liberal model is facing a crisis: agency is attributed to occult forces conspiring against the responsible, respectable, law-abiding citizen, who feels increasingly powerless and dispossessed. And yet, we may wonder whether conspiracies and secrecy have always been at the core of the liberal project, from the Enlightenment to Wikileaks.


Dr Marco Pasi holds the chair for the History of esoteric currents in modern and contemporary Europe at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, Sorbonne. In his work, he focuses on the history of modern esotericism, especially in relation to magic, art, sexuality and politics. Apart from his academic work as a historian, he has also co-curated a number of exhibitions in art institutions such as the Palais de Tokyo, the Courtauld Gallery, and the Monash University Museum of Art. He is the chief editor of the Aries Book Series, published by Brill, and is currently the President of the European Association for the Study of Religions.
 

In the recent years conspiracy theories have become a highly polarizing topic. Perceived as a major threat to liberal democracies, social cohesion and global security they are a subject of research, but also society-oriented pedagogical interventions and policy making efforts. Today, conspiracy theories have become a central issue not only to the people who propagate or endorse them, but also to those who fear their consequences and design initiatives to push back against the ‘post-truth’ era. This talk will consider how can we understand this growing tension over conspiracy theories: what does it reveal about the fears and desires of European societies? By bringing case studies from different European regions it will also consider how the distinct experiences, structures and organisations of European societies impact the ways in which conflicts over truth are unfolding in specific regions. 


Dr Ela Drazkiewicz is Associate Professor of Ethnology at the Lund University in Sweden. She is leading ERC Conspirations project analysing conflicts over truths in Europe. She is also leading a Nordren network analysing preparedness of Nordic communities to challenges posed by the current and upcoming disinformation threats. She co-edited volumes What To Do About Conspiracy Theories (2024) and Conspiracy Theories in the European Digital Sphere (2026).
 

Ours seem to be the age of conspiracy theory. Suspicions about secret plots by elites or other evil plots abound and have become politically meaningful through their incorporation in populist and extremist discourses that are becoming ever more mainstream. Conspiracy theories, however, have a long history, and for centuries they were far more popular and influential than now. The talk will trace the history of conspiracism from its emergence in the Early Modern period, via its secularization in the 18th century and stigmatization after World War II to the present. It will ask if conspiracy theories are currently being relegitimized in the western world, address the role of the internet for contemporary conspiracism, and discuss why conspiracy theories never lost their status as official knowledge in some countries and regions.


Dr Michael Butter is Professor of American Studies at the University of Tübingen in Germany. He has published widely on various aspects of conspiracism. His latest books are Populism and Conspiracy Theory (2026), and co-edited Conspiracy Theories in the European Digital Sphere (2026). A revised and expanded edition of The Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories (that he co-edited) will be published in 2027.