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Volgens Max Weber zijn verschillende levenswijzen (en hun onderliggende waarden) fundamenteel onverenigbaar. Wie een roeping heeft voor wetenschap of politiek kan volgens hem niet tegelijk ook religieus zijn; beide professies verdragen zich niet met de christelijke wereldbeschouwing en ethiek. Zijn argumentatie bestaat echter uit valse tegenstellingen en halve waarheden en berust op een nietzscheaanse karikatuur van het christendom. Weber was niet de redelijke liberaal of zelfs christelijke socioloog voor wie sommigen hem houden. Toch is zijn radicaal antichristelijke betoog ook voor christenen leerzaam.

Volgens Max Weber zijn verschillende levenswijzen (en hun onderliggende waarden) fundamenteel onverenigbaar. Wie een roeping heeft voor wetenschap of politiek kan volgens hem niet tegelijk ook religieus zijn; beide professies verdragen zich niet met de christelijke wereldbeschouwing en ethiek. Zijn argumentatie bestaat echter uit valse tegenstellingen en halve waarheden en berust op een nietzscheaanse karikatuur van het christendom. Weber was niet de redelijke liberaal of zelfs christelijke socioloog voor wie sommigen hem houden. Toch is zijn radicaal antichristelijke betoog ook voor christenen leerzaam.

Comedians play an important role in society and public debate. While comedians have been considered important cultural critics for quite some time, comedy has acquired a new social and political significance in recent years, with humour taking centre stage in political and social debates around issues of identity, social justice, and freedom of speech. To understand the shifting meanings and political implications of humour within a Dutch context, this PhD thesis examines the political and aesthetic workings of humour in the highly popular Dutch cabaret genre, focusing on cabaret performances from the 1960s to the present. The central questions of the thesis are: how do comedians use humour to deliver social critique, and how does their humour resonate with political ideologies? These questions are answered by adopting a cultural studies approach to humour, which is used to analyse Dutch cabaret performances, and by studying related materials such as reviews and media interviews with comedians. This thesis shows that, from the 1960s onwards, Dutch comedians have been considered ‘progressive rebels’ – politically engaged, subversive, and carrying a left-wing political agenda – but that this image is in need of correction. While we tend to look for progressive political messages in the work of comedians who present themselves as being anti-establishment rebels – such as Youp van ‘t Hek, Hans Teeuwen, and Theo Maassen – this thesis demonstrates that their transgressive and provocative humour tends to protect social hierarchies and relationships of power. Moreover, it shows that, paradoxically, both the deliberately moderate and nuanced humour of Wim Kan and Claudia de Breij, and the seemingly past-oriented nostalgia of Alex Klaasen, are more radical and progressive than the transgressive humour of van ‘t Hek, Teeuwen and Maassen. Finally, comedians who present absurdist or deconstructionist forms of humour, such as the early student cabarets, Freek de Jonge, and Micha Wertheim, tend to disassociate themselves from an explicit political engagement. By challenging the dominant image of the Dutch comedian as a ‘progressive rebel,’ this thesis contributes to a better understanding of humour in the present cultural moment, in which humour is often either not taken seriously, or one-sidedly celebrated as being merely pleasurable, innocent, or progressively liberating. In so doing, this thesis concludes, the ‘dark’ and more conservative sides of humour tend to get obscured.

This dissertation consists of various studies that investigate the influence of political elites' incentives on their decision-making. I investigate the relationship between politicians and the pursuit of self-interest by focusing on arguably the most obvious proxy for self-interest: politicians' personal wealth. In chapter 2, I introduce the setting for the remainder of the dissertation: the Dutch political elite in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This period saw a radical economic, but also political change. This period arguably represents the country's transition from 'extractive' to 'inclusive' institutions, featuring rapid economic growth, and democratizing institutions.This chapter introduces the data on the wealth of the Dutch political elite, coming from newly-collected archival data on probate inventories. I document a pattern of extremely high wealth among politicians, up until the 1890's, after which the political elite's wealth declines slowly over time. This change in politicians' personal wealth coincides with the acceptance of important fiscal reforms. Even after several decades, and several suffrage extensions, the political elite remains extremely wealthy in comparison to the general population. The next chapter investigates the influence of politicians' personal wealth on the tendency to vote in favor of various far-reaching reforms. In particular, I focus on fiscal reforms, and on suffrage extensions. I leverage the fact that the fiscal reforms were progressive, such that wealthier politicians' expected future tax burden was higher than that of less wealthy politicians. I hypothesize that wealthier politicians are less likely to accept these laws. In the case of suffrage extensions, I hypothesize there is no effect of personal wealth. To establish causality, I make use of variation in the expected inheritance among politicians, and use exogenous variation in politicians' fathers' profession. The analyses show that there is an influence of personal wealth on the tendency to vote in favor of fiscal legislation, but there is no effect for suffrage extensions. The magnitude of the results is such that, had politicians collectively been wealthier by a factor of approx. 5 at the time of voting, many of the currently accepted laws would have been rejected. The counterfactuals imply that some rejected laws would have been accepted if parliament had been poorer at the time. Chapter 4 exploits a setting to look at the influence of a political career on politicians' personal wealth. By using data on candidates over a period of around 70 years, I investigate the influence of being elected an additional time on personal wealth, and I use a method to decompose these effects into ceteris paribus effects of the additional term in political office, and averages of future incumbency advantages and ceteris paribus effects. My results show that politicians are only able to accrue returns in the first period. In subsequent periods, there is no additional financial benefit to a political career. I dispell various alternative explanations, such as the selection of fair politicians, changes in consumption patterns, or career paths into lucrative functions post-political career. I provide evidence that the establishment of political parties has disciplined politicians.

'n Taal moet aanhou groei en vertak en daarom het dit 'n sterk stam en diep wortels nodig. 'n Taal se moontlikhede word deur 'n aantal interne werkinge sowel as eksterne invloede bepaal. Twee spanningsvelde van taal, naamlik die grammatika tekne, oftewel die grammatikale as sodanig, en wat Dante die vulgare eloquentia noem, die eiesoortige van elke afsonderlike taal, sal beskryf en dan met mekaar in gesprek gebring word. Leidrade vir 'n gesonde verhouding tussen hierdie twee aspekte sal by antieke sowel as moderne denkers gesoek word. 'n Gesonde verhouding tussen hierdie aspekte sal voorts enersyds 'n veredeling van die eie, en andersyds 'n geabstraheerde begrip van menslike uitdrukkingsvermoë kan teenwerk. Die eie taal moet derhalwe in verhouding tot die geskiedenis as erfgenaam maar ook as unieke gespreksgenoot gelees word, met erkenning van leengoed en gedeelde gevoel, maar steeds vol selfvertroue in sy eie seggenskrag. A language that seeks to grow and branch out needs to keep itself rooted. The possibilities of a language are co-determined by external and internal factors. The balance between the grammatical as such, or the grammatica tecne, as it was called in earlier times, alongside the local dialect, or the vulgare eloquentia, as Dante called it, will be explored. It will be argued that rootedness and branching are concurrent forces pulling in different directions, both contributing to the growth of the language in substantial measure. On the one hand entrance into what is historical is informed by current topics; and, on the other, what is current forms part of an unfolding of history. The relation between language studies and politics once again has become an issue featuring in the discussions regarding the indigenous status of Afrikaans. If a language were to be considered as authentic solely on account of its indigenous status, it would be difficult to forward an argument for English being authentically "English", given the fact that most of the vocabulary is borrowed from Frisian and Latin, and very little from Celtic. The real issue to be considered rather, is what purposes the speakers have in mind for the language, mere day-to-day communication or a distinguished literature? Should the latter be the preferred option, it follows that one will have to incorporate the development of the history of writing and study the fruits that were borne along with it. Dutch underwent similar developments during the so-called "Golden Age", developments from which Afrikaans has also been able to benefit to a certain extent. Grammar is not merely an objective science that examines and describes languages from a distance, but it is also historically embedded. Learning not only the rules and the scientific side of grammar, but also studying some of the languages that innovated these developments benefits any language, it binds a language into history. In his Poetics, Aristotle compares the different kinds ofwords to parts of a body but goes beyond that to speak about the physiological effects that certain kinds of metre have. We form sounds as much as sounds form us. Poetry specifically has two purposes for Aristotle - on the one hand it exposes the reader or listener to me tapeinen or the unusual, which comprises of strange words or techniques; while on the other, it familiarises the reader with safe, the norms and words of the language with which people are familiar. Without a good balance between these dimensions, poetry will remain either decadent or too mundane. Ifwe accept the unfamiliar to be a key for unlocking meaning in our own language, it again raises the question of the relation between languages. Han interprets Heidegger's notion of the bridge in the latter's essay Building, Dwelling, Thinking to mean that both the domain of exchange and the divine horizon on the other side of the bridge are to remain intact. In the case of Afrikaans, Van Wyk Louw can therefore speak of the fundamental indebtedness of Afrikaans to Dutch, as a source from which it cannot separate itself, especially in the context of education, while simultaneously having been formed in South Africa, thus being a bridge language between the continents. However great we judge our indebtedness to the development of grammar and the languages through which the history of literature was formed, we cannot neglect the particularity of our own language, and its ability to articulate what is universal in a unique manner, adding to the richness of the whole. In other words, the grammatical can become a hindrance in the development of language when a norm or a language dominates others to the extent that no more bridges can be extended. This was the case with Latin in the Middle Ages, and one might add with English today. Dante's essay Vulgare eloquentia laid the basis for a new appreciation for the local language and its ability to extend itself to universal heights, which Dante accomplished with his great Divine Comedy. Louw emphasises the importance of translation as a means whereby the speakers can extend their horizons to a world of meaning previously unknown to them. Translation does not necessarily mean that the speakers are motivated not to learn other languages, translation is itself not possible without building a bridge between languages, between the dwelling spaces of languages. The bridge allows one to dwell inside the limits of a world previously unknown. To manage this complex relation of the localities within a language, as well as the languages with one another, institutions are needed. But the mere existence of an institution does not automatically lead to literature. Humboldt calls for "spirited" writers, poets and philosophers to add new meaning and nuance to a language. This implies the study of these fields within institutions. If this does not happen, languages will to a great extent fall victim to the "hastiness" of the "newspaper men" as Louw calls the media. The hastiness relegates words to immediate meaning leaving little room for interpretation. The frequency of the word is therefore no yardstick for the health of a language. The limit represents the possibility of understanding, of making concrete, while at the same time acknowledging itself as limit, as being in need of extending itself beyond itself to another modus of expression.

Nederland gaat gebukt onder de stikstofcrisis en dus gingen onlangs vier ministers naar Brussel om te vragen om meer coulance voor de Nederlandse situatie. Christianne van der Wal, Hugo de Jonge, Mark Harbers en Henk Staghouwer kwamen met lege handen thuis. Kamerleden Caroline van der Plas (BBB) en Derk Jan Eppink (JA21) zijn er boos over. Rutte had persoonlijk met zijn vuist op tafel moeten slaan. Dit is een mooie illustratie dat als je de EU niet wilt begrijpen, je telkens tot de conclusie zult komen dat de EU niet luistert.

Nederland gaat gebukt onder de stikstofcrisis en dus gingen onlangs vier ministers naar Brussel om te vragen om meer coulance voor de Nederlandse situatie. Christianne van der Wal, Hugo de Jonge, Mark Harbers en Henk Staghouwer kwamen met lege handen thuis. Kamerleden Caroline van der Plas (BBB) en Derk Jan Eppink (JA21) zijn er boos over. Rutte had persoonlijk met zijn vuist op tafel moeten slaan. Dit is een mooie illustratie dat als je de EU niet wilt begrijpen, je telkens tot de conclusie zult komen dat de EU niet luistert.

Governing transitions toward sustainable futures is notoriously challenging. In this thesis we examine the role of transdisciplinary experimentation as a mode of governance toward sustainability. We specifically zoom in on the politics and governance of transdisciplinary experimentation and ask the question: “How may we understand the governance and politics of transdisciplinary experimentation in sustainability transitions?” After first setting the stage in Part I, we theoretically explore different perspectives on the politics of sustainability transition governance (Part II), considering both normative and causal interpretations of politics. In Part III then, we present a tale of two systems, highlighting how R&I systems are coupled to food systems, and how transdisciplinary approaches aimed at sustainability transitions could be further stimulated. Then, in Part IV a number of empirical studies are presented, elaborating on the governance and politics of transdisciplinary experimentation. These studies resulted from our engagement in the EU FIT4FOOD2030 project. In the final part (Part V) we present the main findings, cross-cutting themes, future research directions and reflections, and we provide recommendations for transdisciplinary R&I projects and policy makers. The main contributions of this thesis, we contend, are that by combining a strong theoretical focus on the politics of sustainability transitions with our action-oriented engagement in a transition-oriented project, we were able to (1) illuminate the different ways in which multi-scale, multi-level and multi-system dynamics ‘hit the ground’ in transdisciplinary experimentation processes, shedding light on the translocal dynamics of experimentation and the role of transdisciplinary R&I in EU food system transformation. This helps us to (2) articulate inherent and political challenges involved in ‘doing transitions’ in practice, most notably regarding (i) balancing here-and-now-project dynamics with long-term transformative ambitions; (ii) governing diversities of inclusion with directionalities implied by transformative efforts; and (iii) knowing how and whether project activities contribute to transformative change. This in turn allows us to (3) formulate governance strategies for navigating the abovementioned challenges in transition-oriented projects, and to provide recommendations for those working on catalyzing sustainability transitions, specifically tailored to those involved in transdisciplinary R&I projects, as well as R&I policy makers and funders. We hope that the findings presented in the different chapters, the considerations and reflections that are raised to stimulate further (academic) debate, and the provided (policy) recommendations can be useful to both researchers and policy makers for their endeavors to both understand and enact urgently needed transitions toward just and sustainable futures.

Governing transitions toward sustainable futures is notoriously challenging. In this thesis we examine the role of transdisciplinary experimentation as a mode of governance toward sustainability. We specifically zoom in on the politics and governance of transdisciplinary experimentation and ask the question: “How may we understand the governance and politics of transdisciplinary experimentation in sustainability transitions?” After first setting the stage in Part I, we theoretically explore different perspectives on the politics of sustainability transition governance (Part II), considering both normative and causal interpretations of politics. In Part III then, we present a tale of two systems, highlighting how R&I systems are coupled to food systems, and how transdisciplinary approaches aimed at sustainability transitions could be further stimulated. Then, in Part IV a number of empirical studies are presented, elaborating on the governance and politics of transdisciplinary experimentation. These studies resulted from our engagement in the EU FIT4FOOD2030 project. In the final part (Part V) we present the main findings, cross-cutting themes, future research directions and reflections, and we provide recommendations for transdisciplinary R&I projects and policy makers. The main contributions of this thesis, we contend, are that by combining a strong theoretical focus on the politics of sustainability transitions with our action-oriented engagement in a transition-oriented project, we were able to (1) illuminate the different ways in which multi-scale, multi-level and multi-system dynamics ‘hit the ground’ in transdisciplinary experimentation processes, shedding light on the translocal dynamics of experimentation and the role of transdisciplinary R&I in EU food system transformation. This helps us to (2) articulate inherent and political challenges involved in ‘doing transitions’ in practice, most notably regarding (i) balancing here-and-now-project dynamics with long-term transformative ambitions; (ii) governing diversities of inclusion with directionalities implied by transformative efforts; and (iii) knowing how and whether project activities contribute to transformative change. This in turn allows us to (3) formulate governance strategies for navigating the abovementioned challenges in transition-oriented projects, and to provide recommendations for those working on catalyzing sustainability transitions, specifically tailored to those involved in transdisciplinary R&I projects, as well as R&I policy makers and funders. We hope that the findings presented in the different chapters, the considerations and reflections that are raised to stimulate further (academic) debate, and the provided (policy) recommendations can be useful to both researchers and policy makers for their endeavors to both understand and enact urgently needed transitions toward just and sustainable futures.

Governing transitions toward sustainable futures is notoriously challenging. In this thesis we examine the role of transdisciplinary experimentation as a mode of governance toward sustainability. We specifically zoom in on the politics and governance of transdisciplinary experimentation and ask the question: “How may we understand the governance and politics of transdisciplinary experimentation in sustainability transitions?” After first setting the stage in Part I, we theoretically explore different perspectives on the politics of sustainability transition governance (Part II), considering both normative and causal interpretations of politics. In Part III then, we present a tale of two systems, highlighting how R&I systems are coupled to food systems, and how transdisciplinary approaches aimed at sustainability transitions could be further stimulated. Then, in Part IV a number of empirical studies are presented, elaborating on the governance and politics of transdisciplinary experimentation. These studies resulted from our engagement in the EU FIT4FOOD2030 project. In the final part (Part V) we present the main findings, cross-cutting themes, future research directions and reflections, and we provide recommendations for transdisciplinary R&I projects and policy makers. The main contributions of this thesis, we contend, are that by combining a strong theoretical focus on the politics of sustainability transitions with our action-oriented engagement in a transition-oriented project, we were able to (1) illuminate the different ways in which multi-scale, multi-level and multi-system dynamics ‘hit the ground’ in transdisciplinary experimentation processes, shedding light on the translocal dynamics of experimentation and the role of transdisciplinary R&I in EU food system transformation. This helps us to (2) articulate inherent and political challenges involved in ‘doing transitions’ in practice, most notably regarding (i) balancing here-and-now-project dynamics with long-term transformative ambitions; (ii) governing diversities of inclusion with directionalities implied by transformative efforts; and (iii) knowing how and whether project activities contribute to transformative change. This in turn allows us to (3) formulate governance strategies for navigating the abovementioned challenges in transition-oriented projects, and to provide recommendations for those working on catalyzing sustainability transitions, specifically tailored to those involved in transdisciplinary R&I projects, as well as R&I policy makers and funders. We hope that the findings presented in the different chapters, the considerations and reflections that are raised to stimulate further (academic) debate, and the provided (policy) recommendations can be useful to both researchers and policy makers for their endeavors to both understand and enact urgently needed transitions toward just and sustainable futures.

Governing transitions toward sustainable futures is notoriously challenging. In this thesis we examine the role of transdisciplinary experimentation as a mode of governance toward sustainability. We specifically zoom in on the politics and governance of transdisciplinary experimentation and ask the question: “How may we understand the governance and politics of transdisciplinary experimentation in sustainability transitions?” After first setting the stage in Part I, we theoretically explore different perspectives on the politics of sustainability transition governance (Part II), considering both normative and causal interpretations of politics. In Part III then, we present a tale of two systems, highlighting how R&I systems are coupled to food systems, and how transdisciplinary approaches aimed at sustainability transitions could be further stimulated. Then, in Part IV a number of empirical studies are presented, elaborating on the governance and politics of transdisciplinary experimentation. These studies resulted from our engagement in the EU FIT4FOOD2030 project. In the final part (Part V) we present the main findings, cross-cutting themes, future research directions and reflections, and we provide recommendations for transdisciplinary R&I projects and policy makers. The main contributions of this thesis, we contend, are that by combining a strong theoretical focus on the politics of sustainability transitions with our action-oriented engagement in a transition-oriented project, we were able to (1) illuminate the different ways in which multi-scale, multi-level and multi-system dynamics ‘hit the ground’ in transdisciplinary experimentation processes, shedding light on the translocal dynamics of experimentation and the role of transdisciplinary R&I in EU food system transformation. This helps us to (2) articulate inherent and political challenges involved in ‘doing transitions’ in practice, most notably regarding (i) balancing here-and-now-project dynamics with long-term transformative ambitions; (ii) governing diversities of inclusion with directionalities implied by transformative efforts; and (iii) knowing how and whether project activities contribute to transformative change. This in turn allows us to (3) formulate governance strategies for navigating the abovementioned challenges in transition-oriented projects, and to provide recommendations for those working on catalyzing sustainability transitions, specifically tailored to those involved in transdisciplinary R&I projects, as well as R&I policy makers and funders. We hope that the findings presented in the different chapters, the considerations and reflections that are raised to stimulate further (academic) debate, and the provided (policy) recommendations can be useful to both researchers and policy makers for their endeavors to both understand and enact urgently needed transitions toward just and sustainable futures.

Vlak voordat de eerste corona avondklok werd ingesteld, opende het Haagseonderwijs- en cultuurcomplex Amare na vijftien jaar vol gekopte ambitieszijn deuren. Één gebouw voor het Residentie Orkest, het NederlandsDanstheater en het Koninklijk Conservatorium op een prominente plaats inde stad. Gelegen aan het Spuiplein vormt het met de Nieuwe Kerk, het!eater aan het Spui, het Filmhuis, de Bibliotheek en het Stadhuis hetkloppende cultuurhart van Den Haag en de bekroning van de compacte stadmet al haar ambities. Leo Oorschot dook in de geschiedenis en bekeek hetresultaat.

Vlak voordat de eerste corona avondklok werd ingesteld, opende het Haagseonderwijs- en cultuurcomplex Amare na vijftien jaar vol gekopte ambitieszijn deuren. Één gebouw voor het Residentie Orkest, het NederlandsDanstheater en het Koninklijk Conservatorium op een prominente plaats inde stad. Gelegen aan het Spuiplein vormt het met de Nieuwe Kerk, het!eater aan het Spui, het Filmhuis, de Bibliotheek en het Stadhuis hetkloppende cultuurhart van Den Haag en de bekroning van de compacte stadmet al haar ambities. Leo Oorschot dook in de geschiedenis en bekeek hetresultaat.

De EU verbiedt vanaf 2035 de verkoop van personenauto’s en bestelbusjes met een ouderwetse verbrandingsmotor. Deze maatregel is onderdeel van de ‘Fit-for-55’-afspraken waarmee de CO2-uitstoot met 55% naar beneden moet gaan, zo legt VVD-Europarlementariër Jan Huitema uit aan Brusselse Nieuwe. Over ruim tien jaar mogen nieuwe auto’s niets meer uitstoten en dat betekent ook het einde van hybride exemplaren. Die veroorzaken immers nog steeds uitstoot.

De EU verbiedt vanaf 2035 de verkoop van personenauto’s en bestelbusjes met een ouderwetse verbrandingsmotor. Deze maatregel is onderdeel van de ‘Fit-for-55’-afspraken waarmee de CO2-uitstoot met 55% naar beneden moet gaan, zo legt VVD-Europarlementariër Jan Huitema uit aan Brusselse Nieuwe. Over ruim tien jaar mogen nieuwe auto’s niets meer uitstoten en dat betekent ook het einde van hybride exemplaren. Die veroorzaken immers nog steeds uitstoot.

Presentatie tijdens een congres.De presentatie begint met een korte uiteenzetting over politisering in en van sociaal werk aan de hand van inzichten uit de politieke antropologie, waarna aan de hand van een casus zwijgend gedebatteerd en informatie uitgewisseld wordt over de manier waarop sociaal professionals zouden kunnen of moeten politiseren. In het kader van sustainable development goal: 10: Minder ongelijkheid.

Boven de publieke zaak hangen donkere wolken. Onzekerheid en wantrouwen domineren in politiek, openbaar bestuur en samenleving. Een nieuwe bestuurscultuur lijkt moeilijk van de grond te komen, oude patronen blijken hardnekkig. Het dwingt tot bezinning op de fundamentele vraag: wat is goed bestuur? De deugdethiek biedt aanknopingspunten voor een weg vooruit. Deze morele traditie, die wortelt in de klassieke oudheid en het middeleeuwse christendom, bevat ook voor de huidige tijd belangrijke lessen. In deze publicatie worden tien deugden uitgediept en in actueel perspectief geplaatst. De meditaties zetten aan tot reflectie en dialoog.

Boven de publieke zaak hangen donkere wolken. Onzekerheid en wantrouwen domineren in politiek, openbaar bestuur en samenleving. Een nieuwe bestuurscultuur lijkt moeilijk van de grond te komen, oude patronen blijken hardnekkig. Het dwingt tot bezinning op de fundamentele vraag: wat is goed bestuur? De deugdethiek biedt aanknopingspunten voor een weg vooruit. Deze morele traditie, die wortelt in de klassieke oudheid en het middeleeuwse christendom, bevat ook voor de huidige tijd belangrijke lessen. In deze publicatie worden tien deugden uitgediept en in actueel perspectief geplaatst. De meditaties zetten aan tot reflectie en dialoog.

In al de jaren dat hij aan zijn proefschrift werkte, had Simon Polinder nooit moeite om op feestjes uit te leggen waarom hij onderzoek deed naar de rol van religie in de internationale politiek. Dat kwam, helaas, omdat iedereen na de hartverscheurende aanslagen op de Twin Towers in de Verenigde Staten wel in de gaten had dat religie een rol speelde in de internationale politiek. Sinds kort komt daar bij dat de inval van Rusland in Oekraïne de rol van de Russisch-Orthodoxe Kerk in Rusland zichtbaar heeft gemaakt. In dit artikel schetst hij zijn bevindingen en wat we daarvan kunnen leren voor het conflict tussen Rusland en Oekraïne.

In al de jaren dat hij aan zijn proefschrift werkte, had Simon Polinder nooit moeite om op feestjes uit te leggen waarom hij onderzoek deed naar de rol van religie in de internationale politiek. Dat kwam, helaas, omdat iedereen na de hartverscheurende aanslagen op de Twin Towers in de Verenigde Staten wel in de gaten had dat religie een rol speelde in de internationale politiek. Sinds kort komt daar bij dat de inval van Rusland in Oekraïne de rol van de Russisch-Orthodoxe Kerk in Rusland zichtbaar heeft gemaakt. In dit artikel schetst hij zijn bevindingen en wat we daarvan kunnen leren voor het conflict tussen Rusland en Oekraïne.

Physical and human geographers tend to look at the world as something that needs to be discovered and explained. Finding bits of nature or society, they further drive a wedge between their disciplines. By means of a case study I investigate how assemblage thinking, which does not hold the separation between nature and society, may be useful to make more conscious choices about which world we want to live in. I look back at a research project on landslide risk in Equatorial Africa in which I participated from 2014 till 2018. In this project, landslide risk as a scientific concept was used to productively enact a landslide risk assemblage in the case study area. It thereby unintentionally silenced other realities and identities. I show how the productive strength of the concept partially rests on its denial of alternative possibilities. By the end of the project the landslide risk assemblage nevertheless remained fragmentary and unfinished. This observation, I argue, is encouraging since it highlights that we may always maintain some agency regarding the world we want to live in. Towards the end of the manuscript I therefore make some, rather bold, statements about the way geographers could conceive their work. Les chercheurs et chercheuses en géographie physique et humaine ont tendance à considérer le monde comme un objet à découvrir et expliquer. En trouvant alternativement des éléments naturels ou sociétaux, ils et elles creusent davantage le fossé entre leurs disciplines respectives. Au moyen d'une étude de cas, j'examine comment la pensée d’agencement, qui ne maintient pas la séparation entre nature et société, pourrait permettre des choix plus conscients sur le monde dans lequel nous voulons vivre. Je reviens sur un projet de recherche sur le risque de glissement de terrain en Afrique équatoriale auquel j'ai participé de 2014 à 2018. Dans ce projet, le risque de glissement de terrain en tant que concept scientifique a été utilisé pour mettre en œuvre de manière productive un agencement de ce même risque dans la région que nous avons étudiée. Ce risque de glissement de terrain a ainsi involontairement réduit au silence d'autres réalités et identités dans la région. Je montre comment la force productive du concept repose en partie sur son déni des possibilités alternatives. Pourtant, à la fin du projet, l'assemblage des risques de glissement de terrain reste fragmentaire et inachevé. Cette observation est, selon moi, encourageante car elle souligne que nous pouvons toujours conserver une certaine capacité d'action sur le monde dans lequel nous voulons vivre. Vers la fin du manuscrit, je formule donc quelques arguments, peut-être quelque peu audacieux, sur la façon dont les géographes pourraient concevoir leur travail. Onderzoek(st)ers in fysische en humane geografie beschouwen de wereld regelmatig als een fenomeen dat ontdekt en verklaard moet worden. Door respectievelijk elementen te vinden die toebehoren aan de natuur of de maatschappij, drijven ze een wig tussen hun disciplines. Assemblagedenken probeert komaf te maken met een dergelijke scheiding tussen natuur en maatschappij. Aan de hand van een casestudy onderzoek ik hoe assemblagedenken nuttig kan zijn om bewustere keuzes te maken over de wereld waarin we willen leven. Ik blik terug op een onderzoeksproject naar landverschuivingsrisico's in Equatoriaal Afrika waaraan ik van 2014 tot 2018 heb deelgenomen. In dit project werd het concept “landslide risk” gebruikt om een assemblage van aardverschuivingsrisico's in het casestudygebied tot stand te brengen. Daardoor werden onbedoeld andere realiteiten en identiteiten tot zwijgen gebracht. Ik laat zien hoe de productieve kracht van het concept gedeeltelijk berust op de ontkenning van alternatieve mogelijkheden. Aan het eind van het project blijft de assemblage van “landslide risk” niettemin fragmentarisch en onvoltooid. Deze vaststelling is volgens mij bemoedigend omdat ze aantoont dat we altijd enige zeggenschap kunnen behouden over de wereld waarin we willen leven. Tegen het einde van het manuscript doe ik daarom een aantal nogal gewaagde uitspraken over de manier waarop geografen hun werk zouden kunnen opvatten.

“Nadat de langste formatie ooit was afgerond en portefeuilles waren verdeeld, kwam het kabinet voor het eerst bijeen. Een van de onderwerpen in dit eerste overleg: wat losse eindjes in de taakverdeling. Zo moest er bijvoorbeeld nog iemand worden gevonden voor het mbo. Zou ook het herstellen van het vertrouwen van burgers in de overheid tijdens dat overleg in iemands portefeuille zijn beland? Het zal je maar gebeuren.

“Nadat de langste formatie ooit was afgerond en portefeuilles waren verdeeld, kwam het kabinet voor het eerst bijeen. Een van de onderwerpen in dit eerste overleg: wat losse eindjes in de taakverdeling. Zo moest er bijvoorbeeld nog iemand worden gevonden voor het mbo. Zou ook het herstellen van het vertrouwen van burgers in de overheid tijdens dat overleg in iemands portefeuille zijn beland? Het zal je maar gebeuren.

Research question/problem definition This thesis is a philosophical study into the nature of the practice of supervisory boards in care institutions in The Netherlands. I do so from the perspective of ‘practical wisdom’ (phronesis) as coined by Aristotle. The main question of this thesis is: what is wise supervision? What will become apparent is that albeit this is a thesis on supervisory practice, it has a much wider scope. As supervisory practice is oriented to so many organizational and societal aspects, it is also a thesis on governance, institutions, management and ordinary caring practices in civil society in general. The question is explorative: what happens if we reconceptualize supervision as practical wisdom? I have no hypothesis that is tested in the ‘real world’, but rather I install a specific interpretation that sheds light on the practice that has remained in the background in previous research on supervisory work. Relevance The role and position of the supervisory board in Dutch civil society organizations, such as in health care or education, has been discussed intensively but narrowly in the past decade. This narrow view consists of a focus on quality and risk management, corporate governance, professionalization and value-oriented approaches. In this narrow view there is a permanent quest for certainty, unambiguity, clarity and simpleness. This quest paralyzes the debate and practice of governance, and possibly also that of care itself. We need a perspective on supervisory boards and governance that takes ambiguity and equivocality of care and organizing as a point of departure. Theoretical framework The theoretical perspectives in this thesis vary widely. The first overarching theory is from Schön on the reflective practitioner and the difference he makes between the ‘safe high grounds’ and the ‘swampy lowlands’. A second overarching theory is about the difference between system world and lifeworld, and the quest for ‘purpose’. The specific theoretical perspectives that are worked out are from care ethics, critical management studies, hermeneutic-phenomenology, critical modernity analyses and post-foundational political philosophy. These perspectives integrate questions of ambiguity, politics and democracy. Method It is a theoretical philosophical dissertation that does not assume representation, but rather precisely interprets the practice from a particular angle. In order to do so, I have analyzed the practice of supervisory boards in a sensitizing way: I interpreted cases, analyzed popular books on governance and had dialogues with two supervisory boards. Arguments It is argued that care is a political category, and that this is usually denied in practices of quality management. Care, especially institutional care, reflects to some greater or lesser extent our attempts to live together in a decent way. This implies that the question of ‘good care’ is not a mere technical matter, but rather also a moral and political question. The technical approach to care, mainly by quality management, hides the paradoxes that flow from its applications. From this angle, also governance is a political and caring activity. Supervisory board members need to understand their work as being ‘relational’, i.e., between boards and the organization. The supervisory board is on the boundary of concrete everyday care and its political context, the institutional framework, in which care is nested. Conclusion I conceptualize wise supervision as practical wisdom as a form of knowledge that is not a mere individual trait but has a practice aspect and an institutional aspect as well. Supervisory practice is not only about the behavior of its practice members, but also about the interplay between society, supervision, management and organization – as well as the way in which this is institutionally embedded: who has a say, who may take decisions and who can counteract.

Research question/problem definition This thesis is a philosophical study into the nature of the practice of supervisory boards in care institutions in The Netherlands. I do so from the perspective of ‘practical wisdom’ (phronesis) as coined by Aristotle. The main question of this thesis is: what is wise supervision? What will become apparent is that albeit this is a thesis on supervisory practice, it has a much wider scope. As supervisory practice is oriented to so many organizational and societal aspects, it is also a thesis on governance, institutions, management and ordinary caring practices in civil society in general. The question is explorative: what happens if we reconceptualize supervision as practical wisdom? I have no hypothesis that is tested in the ‘real world’, but rather I install a specific interpretation that sheds light on the practice that has remained in the background in previous research on supervisory work. Relevance The role and position of the supervisory board in Dutch civil society organizations, such as in health care or education, has been discussed intensively but narrowly in the past decade. This narrow view consists of a focus on quality and risk management, corporate governance, professionalization and value-oriented approaches. In this narrow view there is a permanent quest for certainty, unambiguity, clarity and simpleness. This quest paralyzes the debate and practice of governance, and possibly also that of care itself. We need a perspective on supervisory boards and governance that takes ambiguity and equivocality of care and organizing as a point of departure. Theoretical framework The theoretical perspectives in this thesis vary widely. The first overarching theory is from Schön on the reflective practitioner and the difference he makes between the ‘safe high grounds’ and the ‘swampy lowlands’. A second overarching theory is about the difference between system world and lifeworld, and the quest for ‘purpose’. The specific theoretical perspectives that are worked out are from care ethics, critical management studies, hermeneutic-phenomenology, critical modernity analyses and post-foundational political philosophy. These perspectives integrate questions of ambiguity, politics and democracy. Method It is a theoretical philosophical dissertation that does not assume representation, but rather precisely interprets the practice from a particular angle. In order to do so, I have analyzed the practice of supervisory boards in a sensitizing way: I interpreted cases, analyzed popular books on governance and had dialogues with two supervisory boards. Arguments It is argued that care is a political category, and that this is usually denied in practices of quality management. Care, especially institutional care, reflects to some greater or lesser extent our attempts to live together in a decent way. This implies that the question of ‘good care’ is not a mere technical matter, but rather also a moral and political question. The technical approach to care, mainly by quality management, hides the paradoxes that flow from its applications. From this angle, also governance is a political and caring activity. Supervisory board members need to understand their work as being ‘relational’, i.e., between boards and the organization. The supervisory board is on the boundary of concrete everyday care and its political context, the institutional framework, in which care is nested. Conclusion I conceptualize wise supervision as practical wisdom as a form of knowledge that is not a mere individual trait but has a practice aspect and an institutional aspect as well. Supervisory practice is not only about the behavior of its practice members, but also about the interplay between society, supervision, management and organization – as well as the way in which this is institutionally embedded: who has a say, who may take decisions and who can counteract.

Research question/problem definition This thesis is a philosophical study into the nature of the practice of supervisory boards in care institutions in The Netherlands. I do so from the perspective of ‘practical wisdom’ (phronesis) as coined by Aristotle. The main question of this thesis is: what is wise supervision? What will become apparent is that albeit this is a thesis on supervisory practice, it has a much wider scope. As supervisory practice is oriented to so many organizational and societal aspects, it is also a thesis on governance, institutions, management and ordinary caring practices in civil society in general. The question is explorative: what happens if we reconceptualize supervision as practical wisdom? I have no hypothesis that is tested in the ‘real world’, but rather I install a specific interpretation that sheds light on the practice that has remained in the background in previous research on supervisory work. Relevance The role and position of the supervisory board in Dutch civil society organizations, such as in health care or education, has been discussed intensively but narrowly in the past decade. This narrow view consists of a focus on quality and risk management, corporate governance, professionalization and value-oriented approaches. In this narrow view there is a permanent quest for certainty, unambiguity, clarity and simpleness. This quest paralyzes the debate and practice of governance, and possibly also that of care itself. We need a perspective on supervisory boards and governance that takes ambiguity and equivocality of care and organizing as a point of departure. Theoretical framework The theoretical perspectives in this thesis vary widely. The first overarching theory is from Schön on the reflective practitioner and the difference he makes between the ‘safe high grounds’ and the ‘swampy lowlands’. A second overarching theory is about the difference between system world and lifeworld, and the quest for ‘purpose’. The specific theoretical perspectives that are worked out are from care ethics, critical management studies, hermeneutic-phenomenology, critical modernity analyses and post-foundational political philosophy. These perspectives integrate questions of ambiguity, politics and democracy. Method It is a theoretical philosophical dissertation that does not assume representation, but rather precisely interprets the practice from a particular angle. In order to do so, I have analyzed the practice of supervisory boards in a sensitizing way: I interpreted cases, analyzed popular books on governance and had dialogues with two supervisory boards. Arguments It is argued that care is a political category, and that this is usually denied in practices of quality management. Care, especially institutional care, reflects to some greater or lesser extent our attempts to live together in a decent way. This implies that the question of ‘good care’ is not a mere technical matter, but rather also a moral and political question. The technical approach to care, mainly by quality management, hides the paradoxes that flow from its applications. From this angle, also governance is a political and caring activity. Supervisory board members need to understand their work as being ‘relational’, i.e., between boards and the organization. The supervisory board is on the boundary of concrete everyday care and its political context, the institutional framework, in which care is nested. Conclusion I conceptualize wise supervision as practical wisdom as a form of knowledge that is not a mere individual trait but has a practice aspect and an institutional aspect as well. Supervisory practice is not only about the behavior of its practice members, but also about the interplay between society, supervision, management and organization – as well as the way in which this is institutionally embedded: who has a say, who may take decisions and who can counteract.

Democratie is meer dan het zorgen voor een goede verbinding tussen de lokale samenleving en het lokale bestuur. Het is van belang bescherming te bieden aan minderheden tegen de meerderheid, en andersom. Het stelsel van macht en tegenmacht voorkomt dat één bestuurslaag, organisatie of actor zijn wil te dominant kan doordrukken ten koste van anderen (Van Ostaaijen, 2022). • In dit onderzoek bekijken we dat stelsel op lokaal niveau, waarbij we het college van burgemeester en wethouders centraal stellen. • Met tegenmacht bedoelen we in dit onderzoek alle onderdelen van bestuur en samenleving die invloed (pogen te) hebben op voorstellen of het handelen van de wethouder of besluitvorming door het college in de zin dat ze aanpassingen willen, proberen en soms kunnen afdwingen.

In dit verkennend onderzoek kijken we op welke manier wethouders regels buigen of breken als ze menen dat dit voor een nobel doel – zoals het welzijn van hun inwoners - noodzakelijk is. We bestempelen dat als Robin-Hoodgedrag. Het gedrag van wethouders die regels buigen of breken voor een nobel doel is niet onomstreden; net als bij Robin Hood leidt dat ertoe dat er zowel mensen zijn die het toejuichen en zij die het afkeuren.

Democratie is meer dan het zorgen voor een goede verbinding tussen de lokale samenleving en het lokale bestuur. Het is van belang bescherming te bieden aan minderheden tegen de meerderheid, en andersom. Het stelsel van macht en tegenmacht voorkomt dat één bestuurslaag, organisatie of actor zijn wil te dominant kan doordrukken ten koste van anderen (Van Ostaaijen, 2022). • In dit onderzoek bekijken we dat stelsel op lokaal niveau, waarbij we het college van burgemeester en wethouders centraal stellen. • Met tegenmacht bedoelen we in dit onderzoek alle onderdelen van bestuur en samenleving die invloed (pogen te) hebben op voorstellen of het handelen van de wethouder of besluitvorming door het college in de zin dat ze aanpassingen willen, proberen en soms kunnen afdwingen.

In dit verkennend onderzoek kijken we op welke manier wethouders regels buigen of breken als ze menen dat dit voor een nobel doel – zoals het welzijn van hun inwoners - noodzakelijk is. We bestempelen dat als Robin-Hoodgedrag. Het gedrag van wethouders die regels buigen of breken voor een nobel doel is niet onomstreden; net als bij Robin Hood leidt dat ertoe dat er zowel mensen zijn die het toejuichen en zij die het afkeuren.

Tientallen jaren lang stimuleerde de overheid mensen om het beste uit zichzelf halen, en hun kansen te pakken. Dat dit ten koste ging van anderen, mocht de pret niet drukken. Het verzet tegen de coronamaatregelen sluit naadloos aan op dit beleid en kan niet afgedaan worden als de strapatsen van 'wappies' of fundamentalisten, zoals Jos van der Lans doet.