Eva Illouz

The French-Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz is head of the study programme at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), the French elite university for social sciences in Paris. In her latest book “Undemocratic Emotions”, she uses the example of Israel to explore the question of what makes populists and right-wing agitators so popular and why so many people vote for politicians who pursue policies against their own interests. Since the Hamas terror attack on Israel, Illouz has written several highly regarded debate articles critically examining the role of the left, identity politics, the future of Israeli society and the impact of Hamas’ atrocities. In an article for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, she wrote: “The left’s response to the overwhelming events was disarmingly simple and boiled down to just one thing: Israel was responsible for this tragedy.” In the weekly newspaper Der Freitag, she stated that the “heart of the left stopped beating” on 7 October and predicted: “If the left does not sense the return of murderous anti-Semitism, that will be the end of it.” Eva Illouz is this year’s winner of the Frank Schirrmacher Prize. It is awarded for outstanding achievements in understanding current affairs. The award recognises the fact that Eva Illouz poses the right questions with intellectual acuity about the foundations of coexistence between secular and religious populations, “regardless of existing prohibitions on thought”.

At the opening of the asphalt Festival 2024, Eva Illouz will give a speech on “The 7th of October and the Limits of Criticism”.

Eva Illouz has made major contributions to the sociology of emotions, gender, culture and capitalism. She is the author of 15 books that have been translated into 25 languages. Her works such as ” Consuming the Romantic Utopia ” and “Why Love Hurts” have had a significant influence on research and often end up on the bestseller lists. Her books deal with topics as diverse as romantic love, Oprah Winfrey, capitalism, the development of a psychological culture in the 20th century, the “happiness dictate” and the effects of modernity on emotions. She has been honoured with numerous international awards for her research. In 2009, the weekly newspaper Die ZEIT included Eva Illouz among the twelve intellectuals who “will probably change the way we think in the future”, and in 2013 the French magazine Le Point named her one of the most influential French intellectuals. In addition to her academic work, she writes regularly for Le Monde, Der SPIEGEL, Die ZEIT and Ha’aretz on a variety of topics including literature, politics and social issues.

The star sociologist is a member of the Centre of Rationality at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where she holds the Rose Isaac Chair of Sociology. She is also a senior research fellow at the Van Leer Institute and a visiting professor at the Science Centre in Berlin. From 2012 to 2015, she was the first female president of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem – a post previously held exclusively by men.

by and with Eva Illouz

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