Spui25

De Staat van de Europese Literatuur 2026: Georgi Gospodinov

A key installment of the State of European Literature series featuring Georgi Gospodinov, discussing contemporary European fiction. Formal evening lecture at Spui25 (Universiteitsbibliotheek, Vendelstraat 2) in Amsterdam.

Atlas van het Nederlands slavernijverleden

A program exploring the broader Dutch slavery history beyond the familiar narrative about 600,000 Africans, highlighting overlooked stories around the world. Journalist Leendert van der Valk leads a discussion on forgotten places and forgotten people, presented at Spui25 in Amsterdam.

Sakura: The Flowering of Cherry Blossoms

Sakura: The Flowering of Cherry Blossoms at Spui25 in Amsterdam traces the blossom's history—from Collingwood 'Cherry' Ingram to Japan's iconic spring—through Naoko Abe's engaging history lecture.

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​​Shaping Real Lives into Narratives: Heather Clark on Truth and Fiction​

Shaping Real Lives into Narratives: Heather Clark on Truth and Fiction at Spui25 in Amsterdam probes how biography balances fact and imagination, and what writers must navigate when weaving history and story.

Young Men, Masculinity, and Democracy: Challenges and Pathways Forward

A multidisciplinary roundtable at Spui25 in Amsterdam exploring how masculinity, gender equality, and democratic engagement shape young men's political attitudes across Europe. The session brings together researchers, practitioners, and an artistic intervention to examine pathways toward a more caring democracy.

The New Women of the Right: How the Far Right Has Waged the Gender War in France

The New Women of the Right: How the Far Right Has Waged the Gender War in France takes the Voltaire lecture at Spui25 in Amsterdam as a lens to examine how female leaders, media strategies, and gender politics reshape European politics.

​​On Failure: Error and Defeat in the Arts of the Dutch Republic​

This scholarly lecture at Spui25 rethinks failure and defeat in the arts of the Dutch Republic, questioning the 'golden age' narrative and Amsterdam Museum's 2019 shift. It explores risk, bankruptcy, crises, and disaster as shaping forces in early modern art history.

Confronting Genocide Denial: What can we do?

A thought-provoking lecture at Spui25 addressing why genocide denial persists, how it manifests, and effective ways to challenge it in public memory and discourse. Experts will examine mechanisms by which atrocities are minimized and discuss strategies for counter-narratives in society and policy.

Public Problematisations of AI

A panel of researchers discusses how AI's role in society is publicly problematised and explores imagining alternative futures for living with AI.

‘Beyond Sanctuary’ with Ananya Roy and Veronika Zablotsky

Scholars Ananya Roy and Veronika Zablotsky discuss migration, abolitionist and decolonial imaginaries, and their book in a dialogue at Spui25 in Amsterdam.

Rusland. Een strijd tegen moderniteit

Renowned Russian historian Alexander Etkind discusses his book Russia. Een strijd tegen moderniteit, analyzing the regime and the drivers of war, in conversation with Peter van Dam, moderated by Simone Peek, at Spui25 in Amsterdam.

The ‘Elite’ as Delicate Beast

A thought-provoking lecture at Spui25 in Amsterdam, examining how the term 'elite' is deployed in debates about justice, democracy, and inequality. It traces distinctions among intellectual, colonial, nouveau riche and postcolonial elites and challenges the idea of a single 'elit

Uitreiking Socratesbeker 2026

An award ceremony for the Socrates Cup 2026 at Spui25 in Amsterdam, featuring interviews with the nominees of the Dutch philosophy book of the year and the final winner announcement.

Feestelijke aftrap van de Boekenweek 2026

Kick off Boekenweek 2026 with a festive live edition of the Literaire Letterenshow podcast, featuring guests including Dean Bowen and Babs Schutte, plus tributes to favorite books.

De limes als legende

A thought-provoking lecture reimagining the limes as the legendary North European frontier—how Danube and Rhine mapped power, fame, and freedom across the early modern landscape, told with vivid case studies.

Tussen markt en volk: gemeenschappen en zingeving in een neoliberale wereld

A thought-provoking lecture at Spui25 examines how populist revolts are reshaping a new world order in neoliberal times. It investigates where social unease comes from and what the 'new' order may mean for communities and meaning.

A Slippery Slope: ICE and the normalization of harm

A compelling lecture at Spui25 in Amsterdam examining how ICE raids and anti-immigrant narratives normalize harm. The talk traces historical roots, analyzes policy implications, and invites reflection on resistance and more humane approaches to migration.

Autisme. Een biografie

In Spui25 Amsterdam, author and literary scholar Niels Springveld discusses Autism. Een biografie, tracing autism’s history and its evolving portrayal in culture, in a live conversation about diagnosis, identity and storytelling.

Solidariteit, een kleine filosofie

René ten Bos explores how solidarity evolves from a revolutionary idea to a familiar moral cliché, blending philosophy, literature, and imagination. At Spui25 in Amsterdam, the talk questions where true solidarity lies—beyond rules and policy—within our shared vulnerability.

Een avond met Gisèle Pelicot

Join Gisèle Pelicot for an intimate evening at Spui25 in Amsterdam as she shares insights from her book Ode aan het leven and argues for shifting how shame is handled in everyday life. Expect a thoughtful, empowering lecture that blends personal experience with universal themes of resilience. An engaging event for adults seeking meaningful reflection.

Sudan in Context: Islamic Modernity & Sufism

Join a scholarly dialogue on Mahmud Muhammad Taha, the Sudanese thinker who linked Sufism to Islamic reform. Scholars explore his Second Message of Islam and its relevance to contemporary Sudan, with a panel and a keynote discussion at Spui25 in Amsterdam.

Smooth Amsterdam

An insightful lecture at Spui25 exploring how modern city life is curated into a consumable aesthetic. Through René Boer's ideas, the talk examines how Amsterdam's neighborhoods, cafés and vintage stores shape identities in the age of digital culture.

Activisme en solidariteit in de queergemeenschap in de jaren zeventig en tachtig

A compelling lecture tracing 1970s–80s queer activism in the Netherlands, from COC to feminist collectives and unions, born amid exclusion and HIV/AIDS, and built on fierce solidarity—at Spui25 in Amsterdam.

The Weight of the Wild

Screening of the short documentary The Weight of the Wild, followed by a conversation on translating lived ecological change into policy and institutional context.

Wonen, wonen, wonen

A lecture examining the Dutch housing crisis: why social housing has shrunk, how youth access to homes has changed, and the tensions between housing associations and tenants.

Zondagskinderen – Europeanen, oorlog en vrede

Caroline de Gruyter, NRC Handelsblad's Europe correspondent, discusses her book Zondagskinderen and how Europe came to take peace for granted, even as new geopolitical tensions mount. In this Amsterdam lecture at Spui25, she analyzes the fragility of peace and what it means for Europe today.

De onzekerheidsepidemie

A provocative lecture at Spui25 examining how AI, weather data, and geopolitical shifts seed uncertainty in everyday life. The talk probes how sensors, cameras, and dashboards shape our trust—and our choices—in a world where tech and politics intertwine.

Het ontstaan van taal

Evolutionary biologist Madeleine Beekman presents a radical theory that human language arose from shared childcare rather than hunting or tool-making.

​​De symfonie van onvrede: de opmars van radicaal-rechts in Europa​

An intimate, analytical lecture tracing the rise of radical-right politics in Europe, weaving Catherine de Vries’ family history with years of research to show how societal shifts—from Dutch countryside to Southern Italy—fuel discontent and strategy.