Q&A Masha Gessen
In November, Shift Talks organizes a Q&A with Masha Gessen in collaboration with Tilburg University. Gessen will talk about the topic of autocracy. Gessen's work will be introduced by Dr. Roos Slegers (Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences/Department of Philosophy). A moderator will moderate the conversation between the audience and Gessen with prepared questions and spontaneous exchange.
The event is open to all Tilburg University students, staff, and alumni.
About Masha Gessen
Masha Gessen (1967, they/them) is a journalist and author of Russian origin who is now living in exile in the United States. Until 2013, Gessen was a leader in the fight for the fundamental rights of homosexuals in Russia. They fled the country when Russian politicians threatened to take children away from gay parents, explicitly mentioning Gessen and their family. Gessen is now an award-winning thinker and author on how democracies are being dismantled step by step.
Masha Gessen is the author of books like The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia (2017 National Book Award), How to Survive Autocracy (2020) and is a staff writer for The New Yorker.
About Roos Slegers
Roos Slegers is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Philosophy at Tilburg University. She, among many other things, coordinates the Philosophy MA track "Ethics of Business and Organization." Much of her teaching is interdisciplinary, applying rigorous philosophical thinking to (contemporary) issues in business, economics, politics, science and pop culture.
Shift Talks Festival 2022
How do we act now that democracy is under threat worldwide? We ourselves, our leaders, the media? This question is central during the Shift Talks Festival 2022. In the days around Masha Gessen’s keynote speech, guests like Bas Heijne, Foeke Postma (Bellingcat), Tommy Wieringa, Daan Roovers and others further reflect on Gessen’s ideas in various talks and discussions. In addition, Shift Talks makes the theme more concrete through photo and other exhibitions and podcasts. Shift Talks is a festival organized by Huis73 and is also sponsored by vfonds. The festival takes place in ’s-Hertogenbosch on November 17-26. The program is continuously supplemented with new names and events.