Keynote speakers

Kari Palonen

Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä

Kari Palonen is an internationally renowned scholar of political theory, conceptual history, parliamentary politics, rhetoric, and Max Weber’s political thought. He has led major research projects on political thought and conceptual change and has played an important role in developing conceptual history as an international and interdisciplinary field of research. Palonen is also associated with the journal Redescriptions, the History of Concepts Group, and the ECPR Standing Group on Political Concepts. His work focuses especially on parliamentarism, political concepts, political judgement, and the procedural and rhetorical dimensions of political debate. As a keynote speaker, he brings together historical scholarship, political theory, and a distinctive sensitivity to the language and practices of politics.

Rob Goodman

Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University

Rob Goodman’s research focuses on rhetoric, classics, and the history of political thought, with particular attention to the political role of eloquence, persuasion, demagoguery, and public speech. He is interested in how rhetorical practices shape political authority, democratic judgment, collective identity, and institutional life, from classical antiquity to contemporary democratic politics. His work also examines populism, polarization, political advice, and the conditions under which speech can both sustain and undermine democratic deliberation. Before entering academia, he worked as a speechwriter in the United States Congress.