Researchers from reputable European universities discuss the role of social sciences in tackling global challenges

On 7 and 8 October, the ENLIGHT online conference “Social Responsibility in Challenging Times” will take place, where renowned European researchers discuss the importance of social sciences in the changing times.

The conference brings together sociologists, political scientists, economists, educationalists, lawyers and psychologists from the ENLIGHT universities, as well as representatives of different disciplines and socio-scientific fields, to discuss the situation of democracy in Europe, the issues of migration and segregation, and the challenges of the welfare state.

According to the organisers of the conference, social sciences have a responsibility to understand the functioning of changing societies, support their adaptation and changes in human behaviour.

“The green transition, the health transition and digitalisation will not only change our living environment but also involve significant adaptation to change. For the transitions to be successful, we need to actively reshape our behaviour and mindset," said the chief organiser of the conference Lenno Uusküla, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Tartu.

At the conference, the changes we have to face in the 21st century and the importance of the role of social sciences will be discussed by Maive Rute, Deputy Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs at the European Commission, Hetan Shah, Chief Executive of the British Academy, and Margit Keller, Associate Professor in Social Communication at the University of Tartu. Numerous panels and presentations focus among other topics on the issues of digital governance, the welfare state, gender, personality, productivity and segregation.

The ENLIGHT network universities are the University of Tartu, Ghent University, Uppsala University, the University of Groningen, the University of the Basque Country, the University of Bordeaux, National University Ireland Galway and Comenius University Bratislava.

More information is available on the conference website.

Further information: Lenno Uusküla, Chief Organiser, Vice Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tartu, +372 509 7756, lenno.uuskula@ut.ee