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The Culture of Dialogue Conference is organized by Romanian Creative Week in partnership with “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași and its Faculties of Letters, Philosophy and Social-Political Sciences, Psychology and Educational Sciences, Orthodox Theology, and Roman Catholic Theology.
This conference invites students from “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University to engage in a thought-provoking and interactive debate aimed at exploring the concept of dialogue in the public sphere and identifying key principles for authentic and constructive communication.
The Culture of Dialogue seeks to examine the importance and impact of public dialogue in an increasingly polarized and fragmented social landscape. The event will feature distinguished guests Vasile Bănescu, Alexandru Călinescu, and Nicu Gavriluță, experts in communication, culture, and philosophy.
Free entry for students of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași (subject to seat availability).
Invitați
Vasile Bănescu
VASILE BĂNESCU: A theologian, essayist, and publicist actively engaged in public debates on religious, cultural, and social topics. He pursued studies in Germany (Regensburg and Heidelberg) and completed his PhD in Literature at the University of Bucharest. He served as a patriarchal advisor and hosted the “Faith and Culture” show on Trinitas TV for 15 years. For nine years, he was the spokesperson for the Romanian Patriarchate. Since December 20, 2024, he has been a member of the National Audiovisual Council.
Published works include: The Imagination of Hope. Paths to God (2018, co-authored with novelist, poet, and translator Monica Pillat), Homo religiosus and the Simulacra of Reality (2019, co-authored with Prof. Dr. Nicu Gavriluță), Christian Values and Social Pathologies (2025, co-authored with Prof. Dr. Nicu Gavriluță).
Alexandru Călinescu
Emeritus professor of French Literature at the Faculty of Letters, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, historian, literary critic, publicist, and writer. Before December 1989, he was part of the dissident group in Iași. He writes regular columns for Ziarul de Iași and România Literară and has contributed to numerous publications, especially Dilema Veche and Dilemateca. Between 1991 and 1997, he was a professor at INALCO (Paris). Over the years, he has received numerous awards, distinctions, and decorations.
Published works include: Anton Holban: The Complexity of Lucidity (1972)
Caragiale or the Modern Age of Literature (1976), Critical Perspectives (1978)
Open Libraries (1987), Interstices (1998), Adriana and Europe (2004), Uncomfortable Proximities (2006), A Certain Idea About France (2011), Snapshots with an Open Ending (2020), A World Gone Mad (2023).
With an impressive academic career, Prof. Dr. Alexandru Călinescu has made a significant contribution to the promotion of Romanian culture and literature, advocating for cultural dialogue and freedom of expression.
Nicu Gravriluță
Professor, PhD, at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social-Political Sciences, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași. A sociologist, anthropologist, and essayist, he is also a member of the Writers’ Union of Romania. He has served as both president and vice president of the Romanian Sociologists’ Society.
In 2017, he was awarded the Essay Prize by the Writers’ Union, Iași Branch, and the “Vasile Conta” Prize by the Romanian Academy for his book Myth, Magic, and Political Manipulation.
Published works include: Mentalities and Magical-Religious Rituals: Studies and Essays in the Sociology of the Sacred (1998), Culianu, The Mind Games, and Multidimensional Worlds (2000), Social and Cultural Anthropology (2009), The Sociology of Sport: Theories, Methods, Applications (co-authored with Cristina Gavriluță, 2010), The Sociology of Religions: Beliefs, Rituals, Ideologies (2013), New Secular Religions: Political Correctness, Future Technologies, and Transhumanism (2018), Why Do We Love Superheroes? The Mythology and Symbolism of Marvel Movies (2022), Secularization and the Camouflages of the Sacred (2025).
Cătălin Hopulele
Editor-in-chief of Ziarul de Iași. With extensive training and experience in journalism, Cătălin Hopulele has previously worked for Libertatea, Mediafax, and collaborated with independent projects such as Școala 9 and Scena 9, as well as major publications like HotNews and Rise Project. He was also a U.S. State Department fellow.
Moderator
Ramona Ursu
Ramona Ursu, the communication manager of Romanian Creative Week and the curator of the Creativity Conferences of RCW, is a journalist and writer, irreversibly in love with journalism, since 2001, and with creativity, since… always.
She has worked successively as a reporter at Evenimentul zilei, then served for 9 years as coordinating editor and deputy editor-in-chief within the Adevărul media trust. In March 2018, she co-founded, with other journalists, Newsweek Romania, where she served as senior editor, and since 2020, she has been the editor-in-chief and the publisher of Ziare.com.
In 2022, she founded the opinion and interview platform SunMedia.ro, and in February 2024, with several journalists from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, she founded the online newspaper MediaQuality.ro.
In 2021, she received the “Oscar Berger” Award from the Timișoara Society for „high professionalism, civic spirit, courageous and responsible approach to major themes in Romanian society, and for promoting a spirit of journalistic elegance and good faith”.
Between 2016 and 2019, Ramona published four books, three of which were edited by Humanitas.