Category Archives: The Netherlands

Thank you, Loek Halman!

A highlight of the European Values Conference 2022 was the farewell to Loek Halman. Loek, who has been part of the EVS community for decades, retired from Tilburg University in September 2021. Because public life in the Netherlands, alike most countries of the Western hemisphere, were hampered with COVID-19 restrictions, his close colleagues were unable to organize an appropriate farewell party to Loek at that time. The local organizing team (consisting of Ruud Luijkx, Quita Muis, Tim Reeskens and Inge Sieben) decided that the European Values Conference 2022 was the most suitable moment to celebrate Loek Halman and his contribution to European Values Study.

Preceding Loek’s farewell, the Dutch EVS team has secretly been working to bring together a so-called ‘Liber Amicorum’, a book of friends. For this book, they invited several EVS national program directors, Loek’s colleagues at Tilburg University, and his ‘compagnons de route’ to submit a chapter of approx. 3,000 words; the only request was to rely on EVS data or inspire the study of European values. In the end, 32 chapters and a preface by Wim van de Donk (Rector Magnificus at Tilburg University) were written around five main themes that reflect Loek Halman’s scholarly interest. First of all, several chapters discuss theoretical and methodological challenges in the study of values. A second line of research revolves around the sociology of religion. A third stream of papers presented comparative studies. Studies on the Netherlands composed the fourth part of the book. And last but not least, the final section presented additional country case studies.

Before the official presentation of the book, Inge Sieben opened the session by reflecting on the work and life of Loek Halman. Ruud Luijkx then continued to discuss the importance of Loek to the European Values Study. David Voas was invited to give a keynote lecture on the parental transmission of religiosity. David gave an inspiring lecture with an overview of decades of research into the socialization of religiosity, combining several of his recent insights and also bridging to the EVS and Loek’s research interests. Part of David’s presentation can also be retrieved in his chapter (coauthored with Ingrid Storm) in the Liber Amicorum. With a speech reflecting on Loek’s academic life, Wim van de Donk, Rector Magnificus at Tilburg University, presented the first copy of the Liber Amicorum, titled Reflections on European Values: Honouring Loek Halmans’ Contribution to the European Values Study, to Loek. Tim Reeskens then briefly gave an overview of the content of this book. Last but not least, Loek gave a speech in which he reflected on his academic life, with not only memories to the decades he was committed to the EVS, but also how the EVS inspired his teaching activities.

The farewell to Loek Halman then continued with informal drinks followed by a dinner at Tilburg University’s Faculty Club. All his colleagues, several dressed in checked shirt (to many this was Loek’s dress code), were eager to share fond memories with Loek. It was a great and inspiring day!

Both the Liber Amicorum Reflections on European Values: Honouring Loek Halman, dedicated to Loek Halman, and the Atlas of European Values: Change and Continuity in Turbulent Times, Loek’s final publication, are published in an Open Access format by Open Press TiU. The books can be downloaded and/or ordered from the website www.evseries.eu. Pictures of the conference can be retrieved from this link.

European Values Conference 2022/05/10 – Keynote David Voas and Farewell to Loek Halman

The new Atlas of European Values

Do Europeans really feel European? Do they trust each other and are they solidary? What do they think of immigration and refugee influx? Do they want a greener and more sustainable Europe, and at what cost? Are democracy and human rights ingrained in Europe or are they under pressure?

A new edition (2022) of the ‘Atlas of European Values’ answers these and other questions related to pressing topics such as migration, democracy, sustainability, welfare, identity, and solidarity in an attractive, visual way. In the The Atlas of European Values: Change and Continuity in Turbulent Times (authors: Loek Halman, Tim Reeskens, Inge Sieben and Marga van Zundert), the reader will find maps, charts and graphs based on data from the European Values Study, combined with data from other scientific sources. Texts on current social theories and interviews with European scholars and thinkers clarify the findings. The foreword to the Atlas was written by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

This third edition of the Atlas of European Values has been published in the new European Values Series, open access at Open Press Tilburg University. This means that the Atlas is freely accessible to everyone and easily downloadable (in pdf-format).

The first copy of the Atlas of European Values was presented on Europe Day, 9 May 2022, in the House of the Dutch Provinces in Brussels by the authors and TiU rector magnificus Wim van de Donk to Robert de Groot, permanent representative of the Netherlands to the European Union. De Groot said that this Atlas is more important than ever: how are we going to unite on a continent that is so diverse and how can we ensure that we come out stronger from the war that is currently raging in Ukraine? According to him, the Atlas can help answer these pressing questions.

More information on the Atlas 2022, previous editions, and related projects can be found here.

European Values conference 9-11 May 2022

The European Values Conference 2022: A look at the past, present and futures is taking place in Brussels/Tilburg on May 9th-11th, 2022.

The program includes two topical moments: on Monday 9th, the new Atlas of European Values will be presented to Robert de Groot, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the European Union (Livestream via https://youtu.be/btputyTdYdw) . On Tuesday at 16:30, we will celebrate Loek Halman’s retirement with a keynote lecture by David Voas (Livestream via https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/campus/live-broadcast/auditorium). In addition, some other keynote events are livestreamed.

Please see blow the full program. For further information, please consult the event webpage.

CFP: European Values Conference 2022

More than 40 years ago, the first wave of the European Values Study (EVS) was collected to monitor values change across Europe. At present, the EVS has collected five waves of survey data representative of the European population to respond to many questions that the European continent is facing today. Novel insights from four decades of EVS data will be presented in the Atlas of European Values at an event in Brussels on Monday May 9, 2022. Subsequently, on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 May 2022, the Department of Sociology at Tilburg University organizes a scientific conference that brings together social scientists with a vast interest in explaining values differences across Europe.

Call for papers

For this conference, we would like to invite papers that either analyze the EVS or use alternative methods or data sets to advance the understanding of values in Europe. We particularly but not solely welcome contributions that exploit the longitudinal and/or comparative character of the survey. Panels will be organized in thematic streams, with among other topics a focus on attitudes towards migration, solidarity, democracy, trust, environmentalism, and identity; we further invite papers that clarify the link between politics and values, study societal polarization, contribute to didactics and implementations of values education, or make methodological contributions in the field of values research.

Abstract not longer than 500 words can be submitted using this form, not later than January 15, 2022. Deadline extended: February 5, 2022. In the course of January, more information will appear on that website, including information about the venue, hotels, and conference fee. A preliminary program, with keynote speakers, will be announced by March 1, 2022. Accepted papers are expected by April 29, 2022.

More information on the webpage of the conference: : www.valuesconference.eu

Organization committee at Tilburg University: Tim Reeskens, Inge Sieben, Quita Muis, Ruud Luijkx

Contact: europeanvaluesconference@tilburguniversity.edu

Webinar: Value changes in pandemic times, 2020.11.27

Organized by the Romanian Group for Studying Social Values, this webinar brought together scholars from the community studying social values, and contributes to understanding the changes that Covid19 brings to the social fabric.

Four academic presentations, based on accepted papers in a special issue of European Societies, are proposed. A final discussion of common messages in the papers is delivered by Vera Lomazzi13

  • Tim Reeskens10, Quita Muis10, Inge Sieben10, Leen Vandecasteele11, Ruud Luijkx10 & Loek Halman10 Stability or change of public opinion and values during the coronavirus crisis? Exploring Dutch longitudinal panel data (Full paper here)
  • Malina Voicu1 & Delia Bădoi1, Fertility and the COVID-19 crisis: do gender roles really matter? (Full paper here)
  • Francesco Molteni12, Riccardo Ladini12, Ferruccio Biolcati Rinaldi12, Antonio M. Chiesi12, Giulia Maria Dotti Sani12, Simona Guglielmi12, Marco Maraffi12, Andrea Pedrazzani12, Paolo Segatti12 & Cristiano Vezzoni12. Searching for comfort in religion: insecurity and religious behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy (Full paper here)
  • Bogdan Voicu1,2, Edurne Bartolomé Peral3, Horațiu Rusu2,1, Gergely Rosta4,5, Mircea Comșa6, Octavian-Marian Vasile1,7, Lluís Coromina 8, Claudiu D. Tufis9. COVID-19 and orientations towards solidarity. The cases of Spain, Hungary, and Romania (Full paper available soon)

00:00:00 Start streaming 00:11:24 Start of the Webinar 00:14:30 Tim Reeskens 00:46:04 Delia Bădoi & Malina Voicu 01:17:16 Francesco Molteni 01:50:03 Bogdan Voicu 02:18:52 Vera Lomazzi

Webinar: Value changes in pandemic times

On Friday, 27th of November at 10 (CET), the Romanian Group for Studying Social Values organizes the webinar “Value changes in pandemic times”.

The webinar brings together scholars from the community studying social values, and contributes to understanding the changes that Covid19 brought to the social fabric.

Four academic presentations are proposed:

  • Tim Reeskens10, Quita Muis10, Inge Sieben10, Leen Vandecasteele11, Ruud Luijkx10 & Loek Halman10 Stability or change of public opinion and values during the coronavirus crisis? Exploring Dutch longitudinal panel data (Full paper here)
  • Malina Voicu1 & Delia Bădoi1, Fertility and the COVID-19 crisis: do gender roles really matter? (Full paper here)
  • Francesco Molteni12, Riccardo Ladini12, Ferruccio Biolcati Rinaldi12, Antonio M. Chiesi12, Giulia Maria Dotti Sani12, Simona Guglielmi12, Marco Maraffi12, Andrea Pedrazzani12, Paolo Segatti12 & Cristiano Vezzoni12. Searching for comfort in religion: insecurity and religious behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy (Full paper here)
  • Bogdan Voicu1,2, Edurne Bartolomé Peral3, Horațiu Rusu2,1, Gergely Rosta4,5, Mircea Comșa6, Octavian-Marian Vasile1,7, Lluís Coromina 8, Claudiu D. Tufis9. COVID-19 and orientations towards solidarity. The cases of Spain, Hungary, and Romania (Full paper available soon)

All presentations are based on accepted papers in a special issue of European Societies.

There are allotted 20 minutes for presentation, followed by 15 minutes for questions, comments, and answers. A final discussion of common messages in the papers will be delivered by Vera Lomazzi13.

Attending the webinar is free, but registration is necessary.

The event is supported by the Romanian Quantitative Studies Association and the Research Institute
for Quality of Life
 (Grant GAR-UM-2019-XI-5.3-9).

Affiliations of the authors:
1
Romanian Academy, Research Institute for Quality of Life; 2Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Department of Sociology; 3University of Deusto – Bilbao, Department of International Relations and Humanities; 4Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Institute of Sociology; 5University of Münster; 6Babeș-Bolyai University, Department of Sociology; 7 University of Bucharest, Department of Sociology; 8 University of Girona, Department of Economics; 9 University of Bucharest, Department of Political Science; 10 Tilburg University, Department of Sociology; 11 Institute for Social Sciences at the University of Lausanne; 12 University of Milan, Department of Social and Political Science;13 GESIS Leibniz-Institute for Social Sciences

EVALUE: European Values in Education

In the Erasmus+ KA2 project European Values in Education (EVALUE), teaching materials for secondary schools are developed which are based on EVS data. The goal of these materials is values education: values clarification and values communication. Students will get a more clear idea how to position oneself within a diversity of opinions and learn which explanations there might be for own standpoints but also for the viewpoints of others.  

Discover more about this educational project, which will result in a update of the Atlas of European Values.

Values and CoronaVirus Crisis

What happened to human values during the outbreak of the Covid-19?

The Dutch team of EVS replicated EVS2017 questions to test stability or change of a well-selected set of opinions and values before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tim Reeksens, Quita Muis, Inge Sieben, Leen Vandecasteele, Ruud Luijkx, and Loek Halman rely on a unique longitudinal panel study whereby the Dutch fieldwork of the European Values Study 2017 web survey serves as a baseline; respondents were re-approached in May 2020.

The findings indicate that values remain largely stable. However, there is an increase in political support, confirming the so-called rally effect.

The results of this study has been published in the open access article “Stability or change of public opinion and values during the coronavirus crisis? Exploring Dutch longitudinal panel data” on European Societies.

Summer School “Europe’s Unity in Value Diversity”

At Tilburg University, a Summer School focusing on values diversity takes place from July 6-10, highlighting the role of the European Values Study in this. This one-week course will connect theory and basic empirical research strategies to use the EVS to address ongoing societal questions.

Each day of this one-week course, an important social trend will be covered. Theoretical models allow you to understand these social trends better, after which quantitative strategies are shown and validated in computer labs to study social change. 

  • For whom:
    Students (national and international) interested in the impact of challenges on individual values, attitudes, and behavior. Participants can come from any Bachelor’s or Master’s program.
  • Taught by: Dr. Tim Reeskens, Associate Professor of Sociology and holder of the Jean Monnet Chair on Identities and Cohesion in a Changing European Union, and Dr. Loek Halman, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair of the EVS Executive Committee. They will be joined by guest lecturers working on topics relevant to the program.
  • Start date:
    Monday 6 July 2020
  • Duration | ECTS:
    1 weeks | 2 ECTS
  • Language of instruction:
    English
  • School:
    Social and Behavioral Sciences (TSB)
  • Course fee:
    Course fee: €500
    – 10% discount for current Tilburg University students*
    – 10% discount for students from partner universities*
    – 10% early bird discount*

*Combining discounts is not possible.

Information on schedule and application procedure are available on the Summer School webpage. Deadline for application is deadline: the 31st of May, 2020

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