Join us for the first episode of our EASA LawNet-Allegra webinar series on critique:
When: 13 February (Friday) 2026 / 4-5.30 pm CET – Register here
Who: Veena Das (Johns Hopkins University) and Jocelyn Benoist (Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne)
Discussant: Marco Motta (University of Lausanne)
What: What is critique, and what might it still accomplish? This question serves as the point of departure for a series of conversations between anthropologists and scholars from related disciplines, convened in a moment of acute political, social, economic, and ecological instability. At a time when the very notion of critical thought is under pressure, if not outright threatened—within academia, public institutions, and the broader sphere of political discourse—this initiative seeks to interrogate the stakes, meanings, and modalities of critique today. More than a theoretical exercise, this inquiry addresses a set of pressing epistemological and practical concerns. For anthropologists in particular, the capacity to intervene meaningfully in public debates and institutional settings seems to be eroding. In a context saturated by snap judgments and polarized discourse, it is urgent to pause and ask: What constitutes a critical gesture, and what can it still do? What forms can critique take, and under what conditions does it remain possible?Participants will be invited to reflect not only on the shifting contours of critique, but also on their own situatedness as researchers. In doing so, we aim to open a space for collective reflection on the future of research—and on the role of anthropology within it.