Panel Chair: Joseph Haldane
Panellists: Stephen E. Gregg, Geoff Beattie & Katie Woodward
For much of the previous quarter of a century, Europe and North America has seen a liberal politics in the ascendent, moving towards full legal equality of the LGBT community, and an increased international engagement in cooperative unions. But the past few years have seen a remarkable comeback of a conservative and religious right within these countries, leading to huge debates over such fundamental questions as what it means to be a human, a citizen, or even an assigned gender.
Militancy or activism fighting power structures has been harnessed in the form of populist movements defining themselves against the "Establishment", and this Establishment no longer able to exercise the same level of control through traditional instruments of power, including previous near monopolies on communication. Populist movements now, as in the past, have used various forms of scapegoating to harness and direct popular sentiment and anger towards easy solutions. Regionalism, nationalism and divisions of faiths and ethnic groups has lead to huge divisions and conflict in this globalised world.
In this panel Dr Joseph Haldane chairs a round-table discussion which draws on the three morning presentations, referencing the conference themes, and the contemporary, local and global contexts to set the scene for the rest of the conference, and inviting reflection from the panellists as well as participation from the audience.
