RSU is one of organisers of the discussion “Breaking down the walls? freedom of expression as a common value”

On Tuesday, 27 February, the discussion "Breaking down the walls? freedom of expression as a common value" will take place in the city of Daugavpils. It is organised by the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Faculty of Social Sciences, the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Museum, and the Media Diversity Institute from the UK.

The discussion is part of a public programme at the end of the EU Horizon 2020 project Mediadelcom, during which researchers from 17 different European research institutes and universities worked on developing a new diagnostic tool for policy makers, educators, the media, and journalists. This tool enables the provision of a holistic assessment of risks and opportunities concerning deliberative communication and consequently social cohesion in Europe. Researchers from the RSU Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Anda Rožukalne, Assoc. Prof. Ilva Skulte, and Assoc. Prof. Alnis Stakle represented Latvia in the project.

‘The freedom of speech or expression is one of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, and it is similar in most other countries of the free world.

The roots of this norm can be traced back to the beginning of the modern era, when philosophers attempted to create a normative protocol for the new social contract,’ explains Assoc. Prof. Skulte, who is one of the researchers on the project.

However, the question is how we understand this norm. What gradual changes have or have not taken place with this concept in the past century amid rapid technological and social changes? How do we feel and perceive that which is different? What might be the rules for balanced communication in today's controversial, often populism-driven public debate? What is the role of the media in ensuring and promoting freedom of expression? How do changes in society affect the concept of freedom of expression and its use in public life? What are the limits of freedom of speech that we (as a society) accept, what are the limits of artistic and other (related) expression - for example freedom of the press? And how can this affect society? How likely is it that all social groups and sub-groups share the same idea of freedom of expression to break down walls that separate us and collaborate rather than fight among ourselves?

These and other questions will be addressed by Inna Plavoka, journalist and editor-in-chief of Chayka.lv, Joren Dobkiewicz, activist (New East), Vladislava Romanova, communication and marketing specialist and director of the film Daugavpils – (ne)iespēju pilsēta (Daugavpils – the City of (Im)Possibilities), Ivo Folkmanis, sculptor at the Rothko Museum, and Alnis Stakle, art photographer and assistant professor at RSU. The discussion will be held in English and moderated by Tanya Sakzewski from the Media Diversity Institute (London) and Michał Głowacki from the University of Warsaw.