Thursday 28 May 2026, 16:00 – 18:00 CET

This event offers participants the opportunity to engage in a conversation with Andreas Wimmer, Professor of Sociology and Political Philosophy at Columbia University and former director of the Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies. Moderated by students from the University of Neuchâtel, the discussion will address key themes in his scholarship, including migration, nationalism, state formation, ethnic boundary making, and global institutional diffusion, alongside the diverse methods and data he has employed across disciplines. It will also provide an opportunity to reflect on his academic trajectory and on the role of social sciences in an era of political polarization and disinformation. Finally, the conversation will explore how his theoretical and empirical contributions can help illuminate contemporary developments such as the resurgence of nationalist populism, territorial dispossession, or ethno-racially grounded violence.

The talk will be held in person at the University of Neuchâtel, Av. du Premier-Mars 26, Room D67 and is organized in collaboration with the 31st Neuchâtel Action Week Against Racism (SACR).

Details (PDF)