Weekly Word 7 - The Schuman Centre for European Studies

Ignorance Or Truth?

I learnt a new word this week: agnotology, the study of the deliberate propagation of ignorance. Agnotology comes from the Greek work agnosis, meaning ‘not knowing’ or ‘ignorance’, and ontology, which deals with the nature of being. The word was coined 25 years ago by researchers…

A Place Of Healing

Tomorrow is Europe Day, May 9, a day to reflect on belonging to the diverse European family. It is a day both celebrated and ignored in different European nations. To trace the story of this day, we go to a…

Year Zero

This coming week European countries will commemorate the end of World War Two in different ways. The Netherlands, for example, will hold solemn ceremonies across the nation on Tuesday, May 4, to remember those who lost their lives. In Amsterdam,…

Week One In Isolation

After a surreal 35-hour journey from Amsterdam, Romkje and I were entering New Zealand this time last week as I write these words. This is day eight of our 14-day isolation period. Our journey led us through the ‘ghost-towns’ of…

The Pandemic Challenge

Family get-togethers at Christmas and New Year this year will be greatly restricted by official COVID-19 guidelines. Year-end school vacations will be lengthened in several countries to increase social distancing, creating more pressure for parents struggling to juggle job and family at the best of times.