Lecture | Panel discussion
Praesidium Belli: can the university survive militarisation?
- Date
- Wednesday 18 March 2026
- Time
- Explanation
- Walk-in event. No registration required.
- Address
-
Wijnhaven
Turfmarkt 99
2511 DP The Hague - Room
- 3.48
Universities in the Netherlands and across Europe are rapidly introducing new programmes for military purposes, facilitating rather than questioning militarisation. Militarisation of the university is the latest assault on an institution already under siege by market rationality. Can an institution that aspires to provide a sanctuary for independent thought - as Leiden’s motto ‘praesidium libertatis’ or ‘bulwark of freedom’ suggests - survive the logic of war that has already entered our campus? In this panel, experts in security, law, and the new peace movement reflect on the origins and consequences of the militarisation of the university, and explore avenues for resistance.
Confirmed speakers
Malte Riemann, UD defence and international affairs, Leiden University
Michiel Bot, UHD law and humanities, Tilburg University
Wendela de Vries, researcher and co-founder Stop Wapenhandel
