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Society in Dialogue

Democratic societies thrive on the exchange of different perspectives. Under the focus theme Society in Dialogue, the Goethe-Institut promotes international exchange on topics such as democracy, diversity, participation and social cohesion. Arts and culture create spaces for encounters, discussion and new forms of collaboration.

Focus 2026/2027:

Postcolonial Perspectives on Democracy

Le Rêve et l'Ombre

Le Rêve et l'Ombre explores aesthetic and theoretical perspectives on the current crisis of democracy. At its core are postcolonial perspectives that reveal the genealogies of colonial and imperial forces embedded in the founding myths of Western European democracies. In doing so, the project opens up space for revisiting established narratives and imagining new democratic possibilities.

Le rêve et l'ombre Graphic Design: Our Polite Society Graphic Design: Our Polite Society

Projects on the Focus Theme

  • Humour as artistic strategy

    Anaesthesia of the Heart

    Can humour help us live with the world's many contradictions? What does humour as a cultural strategy tell us about the current state of the world? Is there still room for humour in polarised societies? And if new technologies such as artificial intelligence make it harder to recognise humanity, should we pay more attention to humour as a deeply human form of communication? 

    From autumn 2025 to spring 2026, Goethe-Institut Brussels is inviting creative artists from the fields of art, theatre, illustration, literature, music, film, science and philosophy to investigate the paradoxes of humour.

    Anaesthesia of the Heart © Goethe-Institut Brussels | Design: Sarah Kral © Goethe-Institut Brussels | Design: Sarah Kral

  • Transdisciplinary series of events on philosophy, art and performance from October

    AFTER REASON

    Productive Undoing is a Difficult Task (Gayatri Spivak)

    The Enlightenment movement, a philosophical debate of 18th century Europe, promised universal freedom, equality and emancipation through reason. Today we know that it also justified slavery, genocide and other crimes against humanity. From October 17th-19th different artists and philosophers will come together at Beursschouwburg for a weekend of discussions, performances and workshops to address the fundamental paradox of universalism and colonialism of the 18th and 19th centuries.
     

    © Sonya Lindfors © Sonya Lindfors © Sonya Lindfors

  • Listening

    Listening Other·Wise

    On 12 and 13 December 2025, the Goethe-Institut Brussels, La Loge Brussels and artist Nele Möller presented Listening Other·Wise, a 24-hour public programme dedicated to the theme of listening. The event took place at La Loge.

    Graphic: Antoine Begon & Boy Vereecken Graphic: Antoine Begon & Boy Vereecken Graphic: Antoine Begon & Boy Vereecken

What guides us: goals, strategies and partnerships