How can we analyze contemporary pressure on the model, concept and normative tenets of the liberal order? How can we investigate contemporary controversies about the liberal script – in their interconnections and commonalities as well as variations across time and space?

During the three-day opening conference, more than 200 international guests were introduced to SCRIPTS as a multidisciplinary research platform and hub for discussions across spheres of civil society, culture and policy. Academics and experts from around the world reflected on contestations to and future scenarios for the liberal script, engaging key concepts of the SCRIPTS research agenda. The conference began with a pluri-vocal keynote address and round table discussion that was open to the general public, extending the SCRIPTS agenda beyond academia through its social, cultural, and political relevance. This was followed by two days of 20 concurrent workshops, roundtables, discussions, and panels structured around the four SCRIPTS research areas: Borders, Orders, (Re-)Allocation and Temporality. These sessions became a vivid space for discussion — diverse in scope and range and informed by thought-provoking commentary as well as valuable input from external experts in neighboring fields and disciplines.