Win tickets for Election Night 2020 at TivoliVredenburg

There are two major issues at stake in this election: Coronavirus and its impact on public health and the economy, and the Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality. Republicans and Democrats seem to have entirely different views on these topics and the nation is divided. Donald Trump and Joe Biden are running for presidency amidst this turmoil, campaigning with videos and speeches because mass rallies can no longer be held. If you speak Dutch and wonder who will occupy the White House in 2021, this event is for you.

Programme

Block 1: The election - with Bianca Pander, Markha Valenta and Madeleijn van den Nieuwenhuizen
How does the pandemic impact this election? What were the key moments and what themes seem to touch voters the most in the swing states? In this first block, the guests will talk about the campaigns, the candidates and the voters.

Block 2: The roots - with Maarten Zwiers and Dan Hassler-Forest
Maarten and Dan will make a deeper analysis of the roots of Trumpism and the influence of fake news and conspiracy theories. Learn who was the Democrat (!) who paved the way for Trump in the 1960s and why those who spread conspiracy theories are more influencial than you think. 

Block 3: The future - with Maarten Kolsloot, Peter Trubowitz and Karlijn van Houwelingen
This block will cover expectations for the future. What are the biggest challenges the new president will have to face? What can we expect of him? Is there any controversy about the result? By the way, is there a new exit poll available?

Speakers:
Maarten Zwiers - Maarten is professor of American Studies at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. He specializes in Political History and regional culture, focusing on the southern states. He will reveal the Democratic candidate who layed the foundations for Trump in the 1960s.

Dan Hassler-Forest - Dan is Culture and Media Scientist at Utrecht University. He's published works about pop culture, analysing the relationship between media, movies and comics and key sociopolitical issues. He will discuss the impact of conspiracy theories and the war against 'mainstream media' on the election.

Bianca Pander - Bianca is Americanist and director of campaign agency BKB. She studied in Groningen and Arizona, volunteered for John Kerry's 2004 campaign and attended numerous election rallies in the US before and since. She is frequently featured in the media, commenting on the presidential campaigns.

Maarten Kolsloot - Maarten is a journalist, speaker, American expert and baseball fanatic. He is the author of Trump Is Not Crazy (2019) alongside Victor Vlam. Maarten served as US correspondent for Dutch newspaper Het Parool and the ANP. He is a frequent commentator about the American elections on Radio 1, BNR and Spijkers met Koppen, among other shows.

Madeleijn van den Nieuwenhuizen - Madeleijn is a Legal Historian and Media Critic. She currently works as a Fulbright PhD candidate at the City University of New York, researching legal history and political corruption. She is interested in the distribution of power, money flows and (in)equality. Madeleijn denounces abuses in the Dutch media on her Instagram account @Zeikschrift.

Markha Valenta - Markha is assistant professor at Utrecht University. With a background in American Studies, she conducts research into diversity issues related to globalization and colonialism, focusing on the United States, the Netherlands, and India. How can minorities strengthen their position and what is their relationship with the establishment?

Peter Trubowitz (online) - Peter is Director of the US Center at the London School of Economics and Head of LSE's Department of International Relations. He has written several books on American foreign policy. His most recent book is called American Foreign Policy: Theoretical Essays and Politics and Strategy: Partisan Ambition and American Statecraft (Princeton University Press).

Karlijn van Houwelingen (online) - Karlijn has been a correspondent in New York since the summer of 2015 for Dutch publications such as Algemeen Dagblad. In January 2020 she published the book Dit Is Amerika, about the role of sex and power in Donald Trump's US. Will women determine the outcome of the election?

Hosts:
Michiel Klaasen - Michiel works as video editor at the NOS. He's also worked with RTL Nieuws correspondent Erik Mouthaan in New York, reporting on the midterm elections, among other topics.

Sophie Derkzen - Sophie is a journalist and radio host fascinated about international politics. On NPO Radio 1 she presents the show VPRO Bureau Buitenland. She's previously worked as a political editor at Vrij Nederland and guest editor for German newspaper Die Zeit.

Giveaway
DUB will give away two tickets for Election Night 2020, to be held on November 3, 8:30PM, at TivoliVredenburg. Interested? Send us an e-mail before October 29, 4:00PM, informing your full name and phone number: dubprijsvraag@uu.nl. The winners will be contacted by DUB. 

Visiting TivoliVredenburg safely
You're only allowed to attend this event if you have no corona related symptoms. For your safety, TivoliVredenburg is following all the recommendations by the RIVM, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. This means all visitors will be asked about their health and the health of their housemates at the entrance. You can answer those questions beforehand at Tivoli's website and show the green screen on your phone upon entrance.