Lecture Series Lecture: Science between Freedom and Authoritarianism
Press Release No. 135/2024
22 November 2024
Eva Illouz speaks in Ruperto Carola Lecture Series on French Theory and the relationship between academia and politics in the United States
The changing meanings of “French Theory”, a critical school of thought that came into being in US academia in the 1980s, based on ideas originating in France, is the topic of a lecture by multi-award-winning sociologist Prof. Dr Eva Illouz from the Ecole des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris. She will explore the question of why and how, paradoxically, French Theory may have paved the way for an authoritarian science in the United States of America. Her lecture is part of the Ruperto Carola Lecture Series, which in this winter semester explores the theme “Freedom?! The University as a Space for Discourse”. The series organized by Heidelberg University takes up the role of universities and research in society and in current political conflicts, examining them from different angles and transcultural perspectives. The lecture, to be held in English, is entitled “Between Freedom and Authoritarianism – French Theory and US Academic Politics” and will take place on Monday, 25 November 2024, in the Great Hall of the Old University, starting at 6pm.
The term “French Theory” stands for postmodernist ideas of deconstruction and became especially influential in the humanities and social sciences in US universities. Eva Illouz argues that this critical school of thought, as it became used by political actors and for political purposes, paved the way for an authoritarian science. In her lecture she will explore how this once critical-analytical perspective, which sought to subvert, or, in its own terms, “deconstruct” earlier forms of knowledge and “Truth”, thus gave rise to an authoritarian approach to science. Eva Illouz’s research at the EHESS focuses on the history and sociology of emotions, and also the broader field of cultural sociology. Following her lecture, she will engage in discussion with her dialogue partner Prof. Dr Günter Leypoldt from the Department of English Studies of Heidelberg University.
The Ruperto Carola Lecture Series is part of an approach to focal themes such as, currently, RIGHT & WRONG. With this series, Heidelberg University seeks to take socially relevant research questions to a broad public twice a year in differing formats. In the present lecture series, researchers from various disciplinary perspectives are speaking on “Freedom?! The University as a Space for Discourse”. The series was planned with reference to “Science Year 2024 – Freedom” by sinologist Prof. Dr Barbara Mittler and media anthropologist Prof. Dr Christiane Brosius of the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies.
The lecture with Eva Illouz will be followed in the winter semester by four more lectures by academics from Heidelberg University, as well as visiting speakers from other research institutions in Germany and abroad. The events take place on Mondays in the Great Hall of the Old University, starting at 6pm. Recordings will subsequently be accessible on heiONLINE, the central portal of Heidelberg University with lectures, panels and events in digital formats.