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The Poison of Victimhood Culture

Eva Illouz, sociologist and winner of the 2024 Schirrmacher Prize, talks about the poison of victim culture.

Speakers

Wednesday, 14. May 2025, 18:30 – 20:00 h

At the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOL-G-201 (Aula)

Event Language: English

Victimhood culture emerged from a transformation of shame: from silence to publicity.

But the refusal of being shamed and overpowered by silence has turned into a culture of guilt. Social and political groups now face each other through these two key emotions.

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Admission is free. No pre-registration necessary. No seat reservation possible. The security staff reserves the right to check bags/backpacks. Taking photos and filming are prohibited without authorisation and must be refrained from. The event will also be broadcast live and made available for replay.

Speakers

Eva Illouz

Sociologist

Short Bio

Eva Illouz is Directrice d'Etudes at the EHESS, a member of the Center of Rationality at Hebrew University. She is also a visiting scholar at the Wissenschaftszentrum, in Berlin. She is a past President of the Bezalel Academy of Arts.

She is the author of 17 books translated in 25 languages. Recently she received the EMET prize in Israel for lifetime scientific achievement as well as the French Legion d’Honneur for her contribution to French culture, the Aby Warburg Award and the Schirrmacher Award. In addition to her scholarly work, she writes for Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Ha’aretz on various subjects such as literature, politics and social affairs.

Overview of the SIAF speakers