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The social debate is hardening. You see it in the House of Representatives, on social media and in the living room. Three-quarters of Dutch people are worried about polarization. And for some of them, disagreements about migration, climate and the war in Gaza, for example, lead to conflicts within family or friend groups. How do researchers and program makers move in this social minefield?

For Islamologist Joas Wagemakers, these are busy times. Since the war in Gaza broke out, he regularly appears in the media to provide context for events. He was also a guest at De Duiders, a current affairs program of Studium Generale in the Neude Library.

Joas finds it important to get involved in the social debate, but also notices how difficult it can sometimes be. “People sometimes interpret my statements as political positions. For example, when I say that other Palestinian organizations besides Hamas were responsible for the attacks on Oct. 7, I am sometimes accused of trivializing Hamas' actions. Whereas I am simply stating a fact, I have no political agenda.”

I hope I can teach people that everything is more complicated than they think and that from now on they might think before they express their opinions.

The importance of the middle

Programmer Laura Mol recognizes Joas' struggle. There is regular online fuss leading up to certain events with sensitive themes, such as transgender rights, right-wing extremism and the war in Gaza. Still, she stresses that polarization should not be a reason not to discuss those topics on stage.

“But,” Laura says, ”at a time when the polarization pressure is high and everyone is expected to take a position, we at Studium Generale prefer to choose conversation and dialogue instead of debate. We want to offer context and interpretation to a group - call it the middle group - that doesn't necessarily want to choose, but understands and is open to multiple sides of a story. Given the packed halls, there seems to be a need for that.”

The trick, according to Laura, is to design events in such a way that you don't polarize unnecessarily. In doing so, it is important as a program maker to remain open to other ways of thinking. “We recently organized a talk show at the Neude Library about sovereign citizens, people who turn away from the government. Then we consciously choose not to write the announcement of such a talk too much from emotion and about how dangerous this group would be. No, our approach is one of genuine curiosity: how is it that people turn away from government? And how do we engage them again?”

Public engagement against polarization?

Whether public engagement can counter polarization is difficult to substantiate, Laura believes. “It is of course difficult to measure the effect of a public program on polarization. But at a time when the social debate is characterized by extremes, it is important to speak out against them, to have an eye for that large middle group that is not interested in a battle between extremes, but is curious about the nuanced story.”

And what does Joas, who continues to tell that nuanced story tirelessly, in newspapers, on television and on stages across the country, think? “I hope that I can counter polarization a tiny bit, that people learn that everything is a lot more complicated than they think and that from now on they might think before they express their opinions.”

Dr. Joas Wagemakers is associate professor of Islam and Arabic at Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� and director of the Netherlands Interuniversity School for Islamic Studies.
Laura Mol is Studium Generale programmer at the Center for Science and Culture.

Text: Els Aarts and Erwin Maas