The Department of Ancient Studies at the Faculty of Humanities (UNIGE) is offering a series of public lectures dedicated to interactions, exchanges, and cultural dynamics in the ancient world. Faculty members and researchers will explore diplomatic relations, the movement of objects, religious and linguistic influences, and issues of identity at the crossroads of the Mediterranean and the ancient Near East.

In French.

Fariba Adelkhah, research director and anthropologist at Sciences Po, Paris, is a specialist in contemporary Iranian society and political culture.

She examines historical philosophical, theological and legal debates around power, law, state violence and freedom of opinion, tracing religious and secular currents that contributed to the 1978–79 revolutions and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, and interrogates how these legacies inform contemporary demands for scholars’ and teachers’ freedom.

In French.

Fariba Adelkhah presents a public lecture that revisits the intellectual, philosophical, theological and legal history of modern and contemporary Iran. The talk examines questions of power, law, state violence and freedom of opinion, and traces the currents of thought that led to the events of 1978–1979 and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. It offers historical perspective and critical analysis to better understand Iran’s contemporary political and social dynamics.

In French.

Wright Colloquium 2026 brings together interdisciplinary inquiry to rethink what we call intelligence. The program examines intelligence across scales — from artificial systems and ant colonies to neurons and engrams — and considers cognitive, neurological and philosophical perspectives. Participants will explore how different forms of intelligence shape societies, knowledge and our worldviews, with discussions, panels and workshops aimed at advancing conceptual and practical understanding.

In French and in English.