Skip to content
Back to Seminars & Lectures

Event Series

European Politics Seminar

Chairs

David Art
David Art
Professor of Political Science, Tufts University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
Herrick Chapman
Herrick Chapman
Professor Emeritus of History, New York University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
James Cronin
James Cronin
Research Professor in History, Boston College; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
Laura Levine Frader
Laura Levine Frader
Professor Emeritus, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Arthur Goldhammer
Arthur Goldhammer
Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
 

The European Politics Seminar focuses on democracy's challenges and reconfigurations. It examines right-wing or “illiberal” threats to democracy across Europe and addresses how the political landscape is being reshaped. Questions to be answered in upcoming events include: What are the successes and failures of democratic solutions? Are established parties no longer capable of commanding support? Will protest movements, such as the gilets jaunes, lead to a new political formation? How is the resurgence of Antisemitism across Europe to be understood? What is the future of the Left in countries such as Italy and Greece? How can the European Union survive as the bastion of democracy and cooperation? What will be the consequences of Britain’s attempt to leave the EU?

Seminar Events Calendar

The Rise of the French Far Right and Its Impact on Transatlantic Relations European Politics Seminar — The Rise of the French Far Right and Its Impact on Transatlantic Relations
April 23, 2026
4:00pm - 5:15pm
  • Speaker Victor Mallet – Senior Editor, World News Desk, The Financial Times
  • Discussant Adrian Scheibler – Ph.D. Student in Government, Harvard University; Graduate Student Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Chair Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
Greek Prime Ministers In the Eye of the Storm – Managing the Greek Economic Crisis and Leading Change (2010-2018) European Politics Seminar & The Center for Hellenic Studies — Greek Prime Ministers In the Eye of the Storm – Managing the Greek Economic Crisis and Leading Change (2010-2018)
April 9, 2026
4:00pm - 5:15pm
  • Chair Elizabeth Linos – Emma Bloomberg Associate Professor of Public Policy and Management; Faculty Director of The People Lab, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Speaker Dimitris Papadimitriou – Professor of Political Science; Director of the the Manchester Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, University of Manchester; Vice-Dean for Social Responsibility and Inclusion and Professor of Political Science, University of Manchester
Social Democracy in Europe and the United States European Politics Seminar — Social Democracy in Europe and the United States
March 26, 2026
4:00pm - 5:30pm
  • Speaker E. J. Dionne – Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Center for Effective Public Management, Brookings Institution; Distinguished University Professor, Georgetown University; Columnist, The New York Times and James Kloppenberg – Charles Warren Professor of American History, Harvard University
  • Chair Laura Levine Frader – Professor Emeritus, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Discussant Daniel Ziblatt – Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies & Eaton Professor of the Science of Government, Harvard University; Unit Director, Transformations of Democracy, WZB Berlin Social Science Center
Election Day in the Netherlands: The Return of the Center? European Politics Seminar — Election Day in the Netherlands: The Return of the Center?
October 29, 2025
2:30pm - 4:00pm
  • Moderated by Colin Brown – Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Panelist Jonathan Mijs – Associate Professor of Sociology, Boston University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University and Muriel Rouyer – Professor of Political Science, Nantes Université; Visiting Scholar 2025-2026, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University; Visiting Scholar 2009-2010, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University and Stan Veuger – Visiting Lecturer, Department of Economics, Harvard University; Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
The First 150 Days of Friedrich Merz’s Coalition Government European Politics Seminar — The First 150 Days of Friedrich Merz’s Coalition Government
October 8, 2025
4:00pm - 5:15pm
  • Chair David Art – Professor of Political Science, Tufts University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
  • Speaker Vladimir Balzer – Journalist, Deutschlandfunk
The Politics of Knowledge in European Anti-Gender Campaigns: What is New? European Politics Seminar — The Politics of Knowledge in European Anti-Gender Campaigns: What is New?
April 2, 2025
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Speaker Mieke Verloo – Professor of Comparative Politics and Inequality Issues, Department of Political Science, Radboud University
  • Chair Myra Marx Ferree – Alice H. Cook Professor of Sociology (Emerita), University of Wisconsin-Madison; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Discussant David Art – Professor of Political Science, Tufts University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
What Can be Expected from Social Democracy in Europe? The Possible Death of an Old Phoenix European Politics Seminar — What Can be Expected from Social Democracy in Europe? The Possible Death of an Old Phoenix
March 26, 2025
4:00pm - 5:30pm
  • Speaker Christophe Sente – Cevipol Research Fellow, Université Libre de Bruxelles
  • Chair Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
  • Discussant Tim Vlandas – Associate Professor of Comparative Social Policy, University of Oxford; Visiting Scholar 2024-2025, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
The German Elections: Do the Results Portend a New Direction? European Politics Seminar — The German Elections: Do the Results Portend a New Direction?
March 6, 2025
4:00pm - 5:30pm
  • Speaker Melanie Amann – Deputy Editor-in-Chief (2023-2025) and Distinguished Author, DER SPIEGEL; John F. Kennedy Memorial Policy Fellow (2025), Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University and Benjamin Bidder – Fellow, Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University; Economics and Business Reporter, Der Spiegel
  • Chair David Art – Professor of Political Science, Tufts University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
Orwell's Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century European Politics Seminar — Orwell's Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century
November 14, 2024
4:00pm - 5:30pm
  • Chair James Cronin – Research Professor in History, Boston College; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
  • Speaker Laura Beers – Professor of History, American University
  • Discussant Arianne Chernock – Professor of History, Boston University
Four European Elections and their Aftermath European Politics Seminar — Four European Elections and their Aftermath
October 25, 2024
4:00pm - 5:30pm
  • Speaker David Art – Professor of Political Science, Tufts University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University and Sheri Berman – Professor of Political Science, Barnard College, Columbia University; Visiting Scholar 2024-2025, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University and Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University and Peter A. Hall – Krupp Foundation Professor of European Studies, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University; Senior Advisor, Executive Committee, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
  • Chair Laura Levine Frader – Professor Emeritus, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Energy and Power: Germany in the Age of Oil, Atoms, and Climate Change European Politics Seminar — Energy and Power: Germany in the Age of Oil, Atoms, and Climate Change
April 2, 2024
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Moderated by Herrick Chapman – Professor Emeritus of History, New York University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Speaker Stephen Gross – Associate Professor of History & European Studies, New York University; Director, Center for European and Mediterranean Studies, New York University
  • Discussant Jamie Martin – Assistant Professor of History and of Social Studies, Department of History, Harvard University
Britain After Brexit European Politics Seminar — Britain After Brexit
March 28, 2024
4:00pm - 5:15pm
  • Speaker Anand Menon – Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs, King's College London; Director, UK in a Changing Europe
  • Chair James Cronin – Research Professor in History, Boston College; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
The Madman in the White House European Politics Seminar — The Madman in the White House
November 13, 2023
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Speaker Patrick Weil – Florence Rogatz Visiting Professor of Law, Yale Law School; Senior Research Fellow, French National Research Center, University of Paris
  • Discussant Elizabeth Lunbeck – Chair, Department of the History of Science; Professor of the History of Science in Residence, Harvard University
  • Chair Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
The Crisis in the National Health Service in Historical Perspective European Politics Seminar — The Crisis in the National Health Service in Historical Perspective
September 21, 2023
4:00pm - 5:30pm
  • Speaker Andrew Seaton – Junior Research Fellow in History, St. Anne's College, University of Oxford
  • Discussant Rosemary C.R. Taylor – Associate Professor of Sociology and Community Health, Tufts University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Chair James Cronin – Research Professor in History, Boston College; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
The Concept of "The Center" in French Politics European Politics Seminar — The Concept of "The Center" in French Politics
December 6, 2022
4:00pm - 5:15pm
  • Speaker Hugo Drochon – Assistant Professor in Political Theory, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham
  • Discussant Herrick Chapman – Professor Emeritus of History, New York University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University and Gili Kliger – Postdoctoral College Fellow, Harvard University; Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
  • Chair Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
Coping with Defeat: Sunni Islam, Roman Catholicism, and the Modern State European Politics Seminar — Coping with Defeat: Sunni Islam, Roman Catholicism, and the Modern State
November 29, 2022
4:30pm - 5:45pm
  • Speaker Jonathan Laurence – Professor of Political Science, Boston College; Director, Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy, Boston College; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Discussant Jocelyne Cesari – Professor of Religion and Politics, University of Birmingham; T. J. Dermot Dunphy Visiting Professor of Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University and Samuel Moyn – Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History, Yale Law School
  • Chair James Cronin – Research Professor in History, Boston College; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
What does the Far-Right's Victory Mean for Italy and the EU? European Politics Seminar & HKS European Club — What does the Far-Right's Victory Mean for Italy and the EU?
November 2, 2022
12:00pm - 1:00pm
  • Speaker Nathalie Tocci – Director, Istituto Affari Internazionali
  • Discussant Lorenza Antonucci – Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Cambridge
Legalizing Abortion - Lessons from Ireland European Politics Seminar — Legalizing Abortion - Lessons from Ireland
October 28, 2022
10:00am - 11:15am
  • Chair Ofrit Liviatan – Lecturer on Law and Politics, Department of Government & Director of the Freshman Seminar Program, Harvard University; Faculty Associate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Speaker Joe McHugh – Chair, the Committee on European Union Affairs; Teachta Dála, Member of Parliament, Republic of Ireland; Former Chief Whip (2017-2018) and Minister for Education and Skills, Republic of Ireland
Serbian Democracy, Interrupted European Politics Seminar — Serbian Democracy, Interrupted
September 26, 2022
1:30pm - 2:45pm
  • Chair Elaine Papoulias – Executive Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Speaker Vuk Jeremić – President, Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD); President, 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, (2012-2013); Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, (2007-2012)
The 2022 French Presidential Election European Politics Seminar — The 2022 French Presidential Election
May 20, 2022
1:00pm - 2:30pm
  • Chair Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
  • Speaker Cécile Alduy – Professor of French Literature and Culture, Stanford University and Janine Mossuz-Lavau – Emeritus CNRS Research Director, Sciences Po Center for Political Research (CEVIPOF) and Vincent Tiberj – University Professor, Sciences Po Bordeaux
Israel's Moment: International Conflict Over the Jewish State European Politics Seminar & Jews in Modern Europe Seminar — Israel's Moment: International Conflict Over the Jewish State
March 9, 2022
4:00pm - 5:00pm
  • Speaker Jeffrey Herf – Distinguished University Professor of History, University of Maryland
  • Discussant Derek J. Penslar – William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University; Director, The Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University
  • Chair Laura Levine Frader – Professor Emeritus, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Fridays for Future: A Conversation with German Climate Activists Luisa Neubauer and Helena Marschall European Politics Seminar & Center for German and European Studies, Brandeis University — Fridays for Future: A Conversation with German Climate Activists Luisa Neubauer and Helena Marschall
February 28, 2022
1:00pm - 2:15pm
  • Welcome Remarks by Elaine Papoulias – Executive Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Chair Sabine von Mering – Director, Center for German and European Studies, Brandeis University; Professor of German and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Speaker Luisa Neubauer – Youth Climate Justice Activist and Lead Organizer, Fridays for Future Germany; Visiting Research Scholar, Center for German and European Studies, Brandeis University; John F. Kennedy Memorial Policy Fellow (Fall 2024), Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University and Helena Marschall – Climate Activist, Fridays for Future Germany
  • Discussant Noah Secondo – Ph.D. Student in History, Harvard University and Rebecca Spinner – Sophomore, Brandeis University
The Passport As Home European Politics Seminar — The Passport As Home
February 24, 2022
1:00pm - 2:00pm
  • Speaker Andrei Markovits – Arthur F. Thurnau Professor & Karl W. Deutsch Collegiate Professor of Comparative Politics and German Studies, University of Michigan
  • Chair and Discussant Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
  • Discussant Peter A. Hall – Krupp Foundation Professor of European Studies & Resident Faculty, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University and Anne Sa'adah – Professor of Government Emerita & Joel Parker Professor of Law and Political Science Emerita, Dartmouth College
After Merkel, Now What? Analyzing Germany's 2021 Elections European Politics Seminar — After Merkel, Now What? Analyzing Germany's 2021 Elections
October 13, 2021
1:00pm - 2:30pm
  • Discussant Andreas Busch – University Professor of Comparative Politics and Political Economy, University of Göttingen and Hans-Helmut Kotz – Visiting Professor of Economics, Resident Faculty, & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University; Member of the Executive Board, German Bundesbank (2002-2012) and Constanze Stelzenmüller – Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe, and Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and trans-Atlantic Relations, The Brookings Institution
  • Chair Laura Levine Frader – Professor Emeritus, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
The German Floods of July 2021: The New Normal or a Wake Up Call for (More) Climate Protection? European Politics Seminar & Center for German and European Studies — The German Floods of July 2021: The New Normal or a Wake Up Call for (More) Climate Protection?
October 6, 2021
12:00pm - 1:30pm
  • Introduction by Elaine Papoulias – Executive Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Speaker Anja Bierwirth – Head of Research Unit Urban Transitions, Energy, Transport and Climate Policy, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy
  • Chair Sabine von Mering – Director, Center for German and European Studies, Brandeis University; Professor of German and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Emmanuel Macron's Presidency and the 2022 French Presidential Election European Politics Seminar — Emmanuel Macron's Presidency and the 2022 French Presidential Election
May 11, 2021
12:00pm - 1:15pm
  • Speaker Cécile Alduy – Professor of French Literature and Culture, Stanford University and Gérard Araud – Former Ambassador of France to the United States (2014-2019) and Philippe Martin – Professor of Economics, Sciences Po; Chairman, French Council of Economic Analysis (CAE); CEPR Research Fellow and Co-Director, Macroeconomics Program, CEPREMAP
  • Chair Marc-Olivier Bherer – Neiman Visiting Fellow (2020-2021), Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University; Staff Editor and Reporter, Le Monde and Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
A Conversation with Commissioner Stella Kyriakides European Politics Seminar — A Conversation with Commissioner Stella Kyriakides
March 25, 2021
12:00pm - 12:45pm
  • Speaker Stella Kyriakides – European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
  • Chair Elaine Papoulias – Executive Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
WEBINAR | The Green New Deal: A Transatlantic Climate Change Consensus? European Politics Seminar — WEBINAR | The Green New Deal: A Transatlantic Climate Change Consensus?
June 22, 2020
11:00am - 12:00pm
  • Speaker Alyssa Battistoni – Environmental Fellow (2019-2021), Harvard University Center for the Environment and Sharon Block – Executive Director, Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School and Pierre Larrouturou – Member of European Parliament
  • Chair Muriel Rouyer – Professor of Political Science, Nantes Université; Visiting Scholar 2025-2026, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University; Visiting Scholar 2009-2010, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
CANCELLED - Sovereigntists of Europe Unite - De-democratization in EU Member States and the Emerging Alliance of EU Sovereigntists European Union and European Politics Seminars — CANCELLED - Sovereigntists of Europe Unite - De-democratization in EU Member States and the Emerging Alliance of EU Sovereigntists
April 20, 2020
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Speaker Laszlo Bruszt – Professor of Political Science, Central European University
  • Chair Vivien A. Schmidt – Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Professor of International Relations and Political Science, Boston University
CANCELLED - Raymond Aron and Liberal Thought in theTwenthies Century European Politics Seminar — CANCELLED - Raymond Aron and Liberal Thought in theTwenthies Century
March 30, 2020
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Speaker Iain Stewart – Lecturer in Modern European History, University College London (UCL)
  • Chair Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
Technopopulism: The New Logic of Democratic Politics European Politics Seminar & Seminar on Populism — Technopopulism: The New Logic of Democratic Politics
February 13, 2020
2:30pm - 4:00pm
  • Speaker Christopher Bickerton – University Lecturer in Politics, University of Cambridge
  • Chair Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
Confessions of the Flesh: Michel Foucault’s Final Volume of "The History of Sexuality" Harvard Colloquium for Intellectual History & European Politics Seminar — Confessions of the Flesh: Michel Foucault’s Final Volume of "The History of Sexuality"
December 5, 2019
9:00am - 6:00pm
  • Speaker James Bernauer, S.J. – Kraft Family Professor of Philosophy, Boston College and Rey Chow – Anne Firor Scott Professor of Literature, Duke University and Agustin Colombo – Postdoctoral Researcher, Boston College & University of Paris, VIII and Bernard Harcourt – Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law, Columbia Law School; École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and Lynne Huffer – Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Emory University and Mark D. Jordan – Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Christian Thought & Richard Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School; Professor of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Harvard University and Austin Sarfan – Graduate Student, Program in Literature, Duke University
  • Discussant Julian Bourg – Associate Professor of History, Boston College; CES Local Affiliate & Seminar Co-chair, Harvard University and Annabel Kim – Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University and Edward McGushin – Professor of Philosophy, Stonehill College and Durba Mitra – Assistant Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality and Carol K. Pforzheimer Assistant Professor, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
The Current State of Eastern Europe European Politics Seminar — The Current State of Eastern Europe
November 19, 2019
12:00pm - 1:30pm
  • Speaker Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government & CES Director, Harvard University and Ioana Petrescu – Minister of Economy and Finance, Romania (2014); Senior Fellow, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government; Visiting Research Fellow, Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School and Jacques Rupnik – Senior Research Fellow, Sciences Po; Visiting Scholar 2015-2016, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University and Albana Shehaj – Program Manager, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University; Lecturer, Harvard Extension School
  • Chair Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University
Close