After three very successful Socrates cafes, the fourth and also the last Socrates cafes in this academic year, at the International Burch University in Sarajevo, was held on December 16, 2021. and brought together students from Sarajevo, who, using Socrates’ method, questioned issues related to gender equality. The cafe was facilitated by Professor Edisa Zilić, associate of the TPO Foundation in the field of critical inquiry and P4C philosophy for children.
In the introductory part, all participants said one term that the stimulus reminded them of, and so the topic was determined and how she started the discussion. The discussion on the following issues was somewhat energetic and with conflicting opinions:
- gender and gender roles, genetic differences between men and women,
- whether gender equality is a reality in BiH,
- whether women, fighting for their rights, are truly fighting for equality or trying to prove themselves to men and show superiority over them by discriminating against them,
- the role of tradition in fostering gender equality,
- in order for our society to accept a man who wants to be a “housewife”,
- why host and housewife are essentially extremely contradictory terms in our tradition,
- whether gender-sensitive language also guarantees gender equality in society, etc.
Socrates ‘coffee ended with the method of 6 hats and presenting the final conclusions of the participants on this topic, but also on Socrates’ cafes in general. The students expressed their satisfaction with such events and their gratitude to the TPO Foundation, with the hope that Socrates’ cafes at the International Burch University will continue in the coming academic years.
