The 109th Dies Natalis of Erasmus University Rotterdam on Tuesday, November 8 2022, will be dedicated to the theme of Vital Cities and Citizens. Special attention will go to building resilient and inclusive cities and societies. On Monday, November 7, the day before our university's birthday, we will organise an in-depth programme on this theme. This year's Honorary Doctorates of Erasmus University, Prof. Ien Ang and Prof. Ann Masten, and will provide two parallel masterclasses.
Today, many cities and their communities around the world face all kinds of social, cultural, environmental and economic challenges that call for urban transformations and resiliency. In vital cities, residents can achieve their life goals through high-quality education, meaningful work, and participation in public life. However, there are persistent inequalities in these life opportunities among residents with various cultural, economic and social backgrounds. That is why not everyone can show the same kind and level of resiliency to face these challenges.
Honorary Doctorates to scientists who contribute to vital cities and citizens
How to develop resilient residents and inclusive cultures and build identity among residents? How can we ensure that new generations can grow up to meet their full potential and are better equipped to live and thrive in our future cities? How can we boost the resilience of future residents and the urban areas they inhabit so they can cope with the great social, environmental and economic challenges that lay ahead?
These are questions that will be discussed in two parallel masterclasses provided by this year's Honorary Doctorates of Erasmus University. Every year, Erasmus University awards one or two honorary doctorates to leading scientists from outside our university to honour their contributions to a specific field or to society in general. The awards will go to Prof. Ien Ang and Prof. Ann Masten during this year's festive event.
Co-designing Socio-Cultural Infrastructures for Inclusive Cities
Prof. Ien Ang will pay attention to the development of more inclusive socio-cultural infrastructures. Her work addresses patterns of cultural flow and exchange in a globalised world, dealing with issues like the politics of identity, migration, ethnicity, multiculturalism and issues of representation in contemporary cultural institutions. She will pay special attention to her current research on The Collaborative Museum project in Sydney.
Resilience of Youth
Prof. Ann Masten will devote her masterclass to resilience of youth, who face all kinds of adversaries in life. She will especially talk about her multisystemic approach to resilience which underscores that not only the individual but also the group (family, neighbourhood) and the system (of professionals and government agencies) should be included to optimise mental health and well-being.
There is plenty of room to get into debate with the two honorary doctorates in the panel discussions which are part of the masterclasses.
- More information
Here you can find more information about the Masterclasses by prof. Ien Ang and prof. Ann Masten.
With the Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Citizens (VCC) Erasmus University Rotterdam wants to help improve the quality of life in cities. In vital cities, the population can achieve their life goals through education, useful work and participation in public life. The vital city is a platform for creativity and diversity, a safe meeting place for different social groups. The researchers involved focus on one of the four sub-themes:
Inclusive Cities and Diversity
Resilient Cities and People
Smart Cities and Communities
Sustainable and Just Cities
VCC is a collaboration between Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB), Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC) and International Institute of Social Studies (ISS).
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