Conversation #2: A History of the Self From the Age of Enlightenment to Climate Change

Sociologist and philosopher Didier Eribon’s Return to Reims combines autobiographical narrative and powerful sociological analysis. By exploring his own family history, he analyses how the class system influenced and continues to influence their lives.

The South African philosopher Mogobe Ramose wrote the standard work on Ubuntu philosophy: a vision of existence as a continuous stream in which everything is constantly searching for balance and is inseparable connected with everything else.

In her debut Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging, author, journalist, and human rights activist Afua Hirsch has written a subtle personal history that also sketches the history of a country. Who can and may appropriate British identity?

In 2009, Nina Power wrote the book One Dimensional Woman about contemporary portrayals of women. Since she published her book, the #MeToo movement and other pressing feminist questions have emerged. How does Nina Power evaluate her book and the appeals she made then, today – on International Women's Day?

According to Dutch philosopher Thijs Lijster, in today’s complex world, we increasingly think of society as an ‘outside world’. Against the idea that history is something which happens to us, he champions the collective ability to make history.

Understanding the crisis today based on Enlightenment thinkers: that is how you might describe most of historian Philipp Blom’s books. Journalist and philosopher Anna Luyten will join him for a discussion about the journey of the Enlightenment’s rational, emancipated and authentic self. How far has it come?