Inaugural lecture Timothy Stacey
Location: Leeuwenbergh, Servaasbolwerk 1a, Utrecht
Contact: pedel@uvh.nl
On 3 December at 3.30 pm sharp Timothy Stacey, endowed profesor Liberal Religion and Humanism, will give his inaugural lecture in De Leeuwenbergh in Utrecht.
– Location: De Leeuwenbergh, Servaasbolwerk 1A, Utrecht
– Contact: pedel@uvh.nl
– Language: English
Please register for the inaugural lecture via our Dutch website.
Restoring Faith in Freedom and Democracy
Restoring Faith in Freedom and Democracy
Freedom and democracy have always been fragile ideals; some even question whether they have ever been truly realized. Yet today, the principles of liberal democracy face an existential threat within their supposed strongholds. Strikingly, the very vocabulary and core symbols of democracy are being weaponized by the forces seeking to dismantle it. Conventional political defenses—such as technocratic appeals to institutional norms or warnings that “democracy is on the ballot”—have failed to stem this tide. Meanwhile, astute progressive leaders, from Mark Carney in Canada to Rob Jetten in the Netherlands, are demonstrating that a different kind of political enthusiasm is still possible.
In this inaugural address, Timothy Stacey offers a powerful new framework for understanding how our political aspirations are captured, and how they can be reclaimed. Stacey argues that politics is fundamentally an act of collective faith revolving around “dominant symbols.” While these symbols remain visually and structurally stable over millennia, their meanings are radically fluid. Words like “freedom” and “democracy” function not as fixed legal definitions, but as sacred totems. They offer the illusion of an unbroken historical tradition, yet their core meanings shift dramatically at critical historical junctures.
We are currently living through such a juncture. To navigate it, we must understand how symbols are charged with meaning, and how sharp-eyed operators manipulate them to mirror their own values. Integrating semiotics, religious studies, and dramaturgy, Stacey provides an essential toolkit to decode this symbolic warfare—and to recapture the political future.
See also: Timothy Stacey is to be appointed endowed profesor of Liberal Religion and Humanism