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Season 1
The U-turn revisited
The first season of three episodes looks back on the U-turn webinar series, which asked a hopeful question during the coronavirus pandemic: can the crisis bring about a shift towards a more sustainable and just society? Five years later, we take stock: what has become of those ambitions, and what does the future look like?
In conversations of about half an hour, host Linda De Win and two guests bring together their expertise, critical reflections and hopeful perspectives on solidarity, ecology and thinking about the future.
This season is a run-up to the lecture series U-turn: 5 years later, which UCSIA is organising in the spring of 2026. There, we will delve further into the major social developments since corona, with themes such as loneliness, addiction, citizens’ initiatives and authoritarian leaders.
Episode 1 - Solidarity after COVID-19: lessons, inequality and international cooperation
Monday 29 September 2025
Linda De Win talks to Stijn Oosterlynck, professor of urban sociology at the University of Antwerp, and Naima Charkaoui, policy director at 11.11.11, about the many faces of solidarity: local, national and international.
How did inequality, cooperation and trust change during the crisis? And what lessons can we learn for the future? A fascinating discussion about warm and cold solidarity, international cooperation, inequality and the need for structural change.
Listen below or in your favourite podcast app!
Episode 2 - Sustainability and social justice five years after the coronavirus crisis
Monday 27 October 2025
Linda De Win, Cathy Macharis (VUB), and Eva Smets (Oxfam Belgium) examine whether the intended shift toward sustainability and social justice has been achieved.
Why do climate policies often clash with social (in)equality? Why is political courage crucial? And where are the opportunities for a just transition today? From CO₂ taxation to energy cooperatives and the power of citizen movements, this episode explores how we can move from crisis to change.
Listen below or in your favourite podcast app!
Episode 3 - Thinking about the future
Monday 24 November 2025
Journalist Linda De Win, historian Bert De Munck (University of Antwerp), and physician-crisis coordinator Jorgen Stassijns (Sciensano) review the handling of the COVID-19 crisis. They draw lessons for the future.
The discussion exposes the tensions between security, freedom, scientific expertise, and social trust. A critical reflection and an urgent question: how do we prepare for the future without losing sight of democracy?
Listen below or in your favourite podcast app!
U-turn: 5 years later
The first season of Solidarity Speaks serves as the lead-up to the lecture series U-turn: 5 years later in the spring of 2026.
Together with leading experts, we will explore the major societal developments since COVID, with topics such as loneliness, addiction, citizen initiatives, and authoritarian leaders.
Sign up now for the lecture series!
- Keep Your Distance! on 29 January 2026 with Erika Vlieghe (UZA) and Lindsy Desmet (KU Leuven)
- The Numbed Society on 24 February 2026 with Lies Gremeaux (Sciensano) and Anthony Longo (Tilburg University)
- Joint Forces on 26 March 2026 with Wouter Schepers (HIVA) and Nele Vanderhulst (Socius)
- Reference Points for a World in Flux on 28 April 2026 with Koert Debeuf (Brussels School of Governance) and Maarten Rabaey (De Morgen)
