Rotating international Chair

The Chair Ganshof van der Meersch was established in 1995 by the Foundation Wiener Anspach in memory of Walter Jean Ganshof van der Meersch. He was founder and President of the Institute for European Studies at the ULB, holder of the chair of Public Law at the ULB, Attorney General at the Belgian Court of Cassation and Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights. 

The chair, held at the ULB by a visiting professor from the Universities of Cambridge or Oxford, focuses on the economic, historical, political and legal aspects of European integration or on public law. The holder of the Chair for the academic year 2026-2027 is Professor David Priestland.  

David Priestland is Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of St Edmund Hall. His research interests are the history of two of the most influential global ideologies of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, communism and market liberalism ('neoliberalism'), especially in the communist and post-communist worlds. You can discover his research interests and publications on this page: https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-david-priestland. 

The courses he will teach at the ULB will explore the theme of 'Neoliberalism in Europe, 1973-2027’. This course concerns the impact of neoliberalism in Europe, both Eastern and Western, from the 1970s to the present day. While broadly historical in approach, it will combine intellectual history, political economy and cultural history. It will include seminars on: debates over the significance and nature of neoliberalism; the influence of neoliberalism in the Anglo-American world; neoliberalism in Western and Eastern Europe, and its role in the development of the European Union; neoliberalism today and its relationship with the far right.

This course aims to:
- introduce students to the specific topics linked to Professor Priestland's core research interests
- help students develop their knowledge and skills, notably to present orally and write academically in English 
- develop students’ ability to critically discuss at a Master's level the relevant themes of the course
- encourage students to further develop their particular interests related to the relevant themes of the course.  

Connaissances et compétences pré-requises ou co-requises

Not applicable. 

The course, taught in the second semester, between February and April, is composed of two parts.

The main part consists of the lectures taught by Professor Priestland, which will be open only to students of the Advanced Interdisciplinary Master, and an evening public lecture. Participation in those lectures is mandatory. Preparation for these courses, notably through selected readings recommended by Professor Priestland, will be expected, and oral participation in the courses will count in the evaluation of the course. Students will be assigned specific readings and will have to prepare them for the courses. 
Please note that absences due to an internship or full-time work will not be considered as justified. 

The remaining sessions are devoted to group presentations moderated by Prof. Chloé Brière. The students will be invited to form groups of maximum 4 students and pick a topic from a list prepared by the professor. Oral presentations, to be shared in advance, will take place around late March/early April, and attendance at these group presentations is encouraged but not mandatory. Afterwards, students will have to submit a paper (one per group) by the end of April. 
Please note that the papers to be submitted will have to include at least 10 academic references, and the use of generative AI tools is strictly forbidden for the preparation of both the presentations and the papers. 

Références, bibliographie et lectures recommandées

The readings and course materials will be available on the Université virtuelle: TRAN-O607 - Rotating international Chair - 2026-27. Registration for the group presentations and submission of papers will also be conducted via the Université Virtuelle. 
 

Support(s) de cours

• Université virtuelle

Informations complémentaires

Attendance at the lectures taught by Professor Priestland is mandatory. The conduct of an internship or full-time work will not justify your absence(s). 

Contacts

Prof. Chloé Brière (chloe.briere@ulb.be)

Campus

Solbosch

Méthode(s) d'évaluation

• Présentation orale
• Autre
• Rapport écrit

Présentation orale

Autre

Rapport écrit

Final grades will be awarded as a combination of three elements:

1. Participation throughout the whole class (20%) 
2. A group presentation on a topic related to the themes addressed by Prof. Priestland (30%) 
3. A written paper (max 2,500 words) on a topic related to the themes addressed by Prof. Priestland (50%). The bibliography must include a minimum of 10 academic articles or books as citations. Citations of newspaper articles or blogs, etc., are in addition to this minimum of 10 citations of academic work.

On the presentations: group presentations will be scheduled after the end of the lectures taught by Professor Priestland. They will be moderated by Professor Brière. More details will be shared at the beginning of the course. Each presentation should be no more than 15 minutes long. Please note that it is only possible to participate in a group presentation in the first session. No resit will be offered in August for that component of the class. 

Construction de la note (en ce compris, la pondération des notes partielles)

A written paper (50%), participation (20%) and group presentations (30%).
 

Langue(s) d'évaluation

• anglais