The project

IDenti-T is a two-year ENLIGHT-funded project running from November 2025 to October 2027 which builds connections between staff and students at four universities (University of Galway, University of Bordeaux, University of the Basque Country and University of Göttingen). The topics bringing the network together are identity and democracy. These are engaged with via multi-faceted and multidimensional approaches bringing to light methodological concerns which illuminate teaching and learning styles. This approach asks how our content is being communicated and how it is being understood by audiences, especially students. Through sharing our work through webinars and presentations, and then reflecting on this sharing, we can build a hub of expertise available internationally through which others can learn from our experiences. The network is built through a student ambassador programme, a Directory of Experts, democracy breakfasts, webinars and a mentoring programme. It will ultimately offer an online hub for those interested in learning more via a ECTL six module course and other media. It also establishes a network which is continuously expanded through the addition of new academic members but also those in the non-academic world including policy makers and non-governmental workers, bringing its transdisciplinary element to the fore. We have an upcoming PhD symposium at the University of Göttingen and the final conference will be held in University of Bordeaux October 2027.

The themes

IDenti-T: Interdisciplinary Dialogue on evolving identities in Times of Democratic Transformations

We are living in the middle of a massive re-organization of geopolitical, ideological and material relations threatening democracies:

• social media and surveillance capitalism intensify and fracture the feelings around identity;
• identifications have been challenged by what some even describe as a ‘war of culture’;
• some groups and networks of solidarity are fractured, erased and broken apart.

In this context, the ways in which we teach, communicate and research about identity and identification need to be reconsidered. Thus, this project suggests the sharing of experiences, expertise and materials and the production of fresh resources. We are a community of multidisciplinary academics joining forces around identity and democracy. Our work includes:

• developing educational materials and approaches;
• building an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral platform for dialogue and co-creation, fostering public engagement beyond academia;
• creating a sustainable, transdisciplinary community of practice, with a strong emphasis on supporting students and early-career scholars and boosting long-lasting collaborative initiatives.