Category: The Euroculturer

At least once in a lifetime, everybody has bought something from Zara without knowing what was behind it. Roxana Quiñonez Quispe wrote an honest article on how to be a conscious consumer without feeling awful about your purchase choices.

Despite its strategic position, Kosovo seems to live in a state border cage. The solution to this geographical isolation can be solved through visa liberalisation by the EU institution. Although it has been discussed for a long time, EU institutions do not seem to be fully responsive to the problem, especially considering the obstructive position of some even influential member states. The present article aims at unpacking the current situation of the visa liberalisation process, shedding light on the actual steps taken by the country to meet the criteria established by the EU and the negotiations and developments within the EU institution on the issue. Lifting those restrictions of movement could not only make life easier for the citizens but also bring Kosovo closer to the European Union.

It hasn’t been an uncommon practice in the sports’ history to use homosexually themed language between athletes and sports fans, either as a joke or as an outright insult. What could be the consequences of this, not only for sporting but for society in general? Gian Paulo Palinawan gives a critical perspective on this increasingly contested language and proposes its definite expulsion from sports.

Hypermobility is something that all Erasmus Mundus students are highly attracted to. The constant run between universities, cities, airports is very appealing and often even a status symbol. However, all that glitters is not gold!

The war in Ukraine has affected everyone, including the Russian population. In this article Rick Mogezomp argues that Europe needs to be there for all of those who are fleeing the war, including those who flee conscription in Russia.

Young people are reminded every day that they are the future, that they need to take action. Yet, there is a double standard when it comes to either representing the topics of young people in the media, or the importance given to them by politicians. Instead of letting young people act, the older generation seems to be relegating the responsibility to the future generation.

What is the Euroculture experience like for a non-European (non-EU) student? What kinds of dilemmas would I encounter in imagining and practicing being a cosmopolitan? First of all, getting a visa and extending your residence permit are probably problems that all non-EU students have to face. But beyond that, if I use those abstract academic studies that I have learned to look at my real life, I can problematize my situation and can see my dilemma more clearly. But what then?

Disinformation. We all know that it exists, and we all encounter it online on an (almost) daily basis. The Covid crisis, the war in Ukraine, elitist lizards ruling over the lower classes… sometimes you don’t know what to believe anymore. Luckily, more and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of disinformation. But being aware is one thing, becoming resistant is another. Here are 10 tips on how to avoid, spot, and recognise disinformation, so you can avoid the traps of disinformation and improve your online experience.

As part of the semester in Japan, we visited Hiroshima. Although a lively city of 1,2 million inhabitants, Hiroshima is also a city that saw its heart torn out in World War II. Aside from the countless deaths and the destruction of the city, the bombing of Hiroshima had long-lasting consequences for its survivors – and that is exactly why we need to talk about Hiroshima now.