#72 Wintermans: Between the Netherlands and Hungary: Identity, Memory, and Political Culture

In this episode, Simon Wintermans joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about family legacy, education, identity, migration, and political culture across Europe. We discuss what it meant to grow up in the Netherlands with a well-known family background, why he chose a path different from that of his father and grandfather, and how Hungary gradually became part of his life. From the experience of the Dutch school system to life in Pécs, from the memory of Hungary’s regime change to reflections on today’s political developments in both Hungary and the Netherlands, this episode explores how biography and history often shape one another in unexpected ways. It is also a conversation about Europe: about democracy, belonging, civic culture, and the question of what kind of future might still be possible.