Peter Vermeersch (Belgium)

Peter Vermeersch is a professor of Political Science at the University of Leuven. His work is focused primarily on the issues of ethnic mobilization, minority policies and nationalism in Central Europe and the Balkans. He is the author of The Romani Movement: Minority Politics and Ethnic Mobilization in Contemporary Central Europe and The Peace Front: Ethnic Conflict and International Intervention. He has published articles in numerous eminent academic journals. He is a board member of the Flemish PEN and has published essays dealing with a variety of scientific fields.

Peter Vermeersch lived in Ljubljana from December 2015 to January 2016, working on and completing an essay on this year’s festival’s topic, with the working title “Essay on the Wire”. The essay will be translated into Slovene and English, printed as a booklet and available online, on the festival’s webpage, from February 15. Upon purchasing the ticket, all visitors of the Barbarians at the Gates debate (18:00, February 29, Club CD) will receive the booklet with the essay at Cankarjev dom (either at the register upon buying/checking the ticket or at the event itself).