A lifetime after setting aside an early contemplation to become a priest, Wolfgang Danspeckgruber has finally found a different vocation centered on Sunday mornings.

Since 2023, he has taught a regular Sunday seminars series held at Princeton SPIA’s Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination (LISD). Known as Geopolitical Sunday Brunches, these seminars foster an environment of conceptual analysis, trust, and candor for students (both undergraduate and graduate), faculty, and distinguished guests who want to explore complex global issues in depth.

“No one in Europe believes me when I say I teach to a full house on a Sunday,” said Danspeckgruber, a native of Austria and LISD founding director. “And yet, for the past year and a half, up to 40 students gather — sometimes for four hours. After I leave, they still want to learn.”

Danspeckgruber began teaching diplomacy, statecraft, and international security at Princeton in the 1980s. Over the years, he has commonly held extracurricular seminars outside of the classroom. After recently stepping away from regularly teaching courses, he wanted to revive the seminars when students transitioned back to campus following the early stages of the pandemic.

Rather than pre-planning a roster of speakers or topics, Danspeckgruber prefers to organize the seminars around student interests, current events, and critical subjects. The Geopolitical Sunday Brunches began as informal discussions on Friday evenings and eventually morphed into Sunday gatherings around the fall of 2023, when the series gained momentum after a visit from H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and his wife, H.R.H. Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein.

“We have the flexibility and the international network to turn on a dime and sit down together and discuss breaking news events,” said Lauren Schwartz ’14, a professional specialist for LISD who assists Danspeckgruber. “We can address themes that keep bubbling up but aren’t part of the traditional course work. At their best, the seminars are meant to be interdisciplinary, intercultural, and intergenerational dialogues.”

Senior Ferenc Somogyi, who counts Danspeckgruber’s mentorship as one of the defining aspects of his undergraduate experience, has participated in his extracurricular seminars since his freshman year.

“Professor Danspeckgruber offers an environment you can’t find in other places on campus,” he said. “Something that stands out about these seminars is how interdisciplinary they feel in a refreshing way. We aren’t just discussing diplomatic or historical issues — we are bringing in religion and culture, perspectives you might not get in a traditional classroom. And I’ve felt like I can really contribute to the discussions. He’s open to student perspectives, even in terms of very specific interests.”

A key reason the seminars remain so dynamic is Danspeckgruber’s extensive experience in private diplomacy, which allows him to tap into a deep network of scholars and practitioners. Danspeckgruber was the academic advisor to Austria’s OSCE chairmanship in 2017, serves as an advisor to the Permanent Mission of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the United Nations, and also works with Members of the Secretariat of the United Nations Security Council.

Guests have included Nobel Prize winners, UN diplomats, and high-ranking officials, including Gov. David Beasley, former executive director of the World Food Programme, Princess Maria Pia Kothbauer-Liechtenstein, the Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and to the UN, and Katherine Marshall of Georgetown University Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs

“The speakers he brings in engage with students in a way that feels very authentic,” Somogyi said.

In addition to facilitating academic discussions, the seminar series has helped build a sense of community among participants. Through the events, students like junior Abby Lu have formed lasting friendships and deep connections to their peers.

“I’ve met some of my closest friends around these seminars that I definitely would not have otherwise met,” Lu said. “I think Professor Danspeckgruber is great at cultivating a community of people who respect the different perspectives he brings to us.”

The brunches’ esteemed guests aside, Danspeckgruber’s thoughtful hospitality also plays a central role in their success. The longtime scholar-diplomat knows that a warm atmosphere can influence the conditions for successful diplomacy, and he occasionally brings food he has prepared himself to share with students and guests.

“Diplomacy isn’t just official meetings,” he said. “It’s connection and

negotiating over food and sharing bread together. Many cultures know this well.”

He also carefully enforces a format that encourages a free and open exchange of ideas. No phones. No social media. No rushed conversations.

“It’s a sacred space,” Danspeckgruber said. “You can ask any question, but it stays in the room. And it works.”