Award - Sociologist Eva Illouz receives Aby Warburg Prize
The French-Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz receives the 25,000 Euro endowed Aby Warburg Prize of the City of Hamburg. She will be honored for her sociology of emotions, standing in the tradition of the eponymous founder of the prize, Aby Warburg, for whom the role of feelings in visual cultures was a central research theme, the Cultural Office announced on Thursday. Illouz, born in Morocco, heads the Study Center at the Centre Europeen de Sociologie et de Science Politique in Paris and is a Professor of Theory of Emotions and Modernity at the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen. "Eva Illouz is one of the leading sociologists of our time and an intellectual of great international visibility," explained Cultural Senator Carsten Brosda (SPD). Illouz uses her analytical skills not only in scientific research but also in debates since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and in her clear stance against any antisemitism. "We honor a sharp analyst with Eva Illouz, whose work not only transcends the boundaries of scientific disciplines but also makes a significant social contribution."
The Hamburg art historian Aby Warburg (1866-1929) was not only a scholar of the Renaissance, but a living embodiment of this era, and his unprecedented private library with 60,000 volumes was a tribute to knowledge and scholarship in its own right, according to Illouz, as stated in a press release. Warburg also experienced the First World War. "His reaction to despair and the collapse of culture consisted in transforming his house into a propaganda observatory with the plan to exhibit the material in a Museum of Lies," Illouz said. She plans to dedicate her future work to the unborn Museum of Lies. Warburg is considered one of the founders of modern art and cultural sciences.
The Aby Warburg Prize of the City of Hamburg has been awarded to a personality from science or culture every four years on the recommendation of a jury since 1980. The prize will be presented on October 14 in the Great Fest Hall of the Hamburg Town Hall. Additionally, the current Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, Hans Christian Hones, will receive the 10,000 Euro endowed Research Grant for Young Scientists.
Eva Illouz, the recipient of the Aby Warburg Prize, is a renowned sociologist based at the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen. She will be honored for her work on emotions, sharing a tradition with Aby Warburg, who emphasized the role of feelings in visual cultures. Illouz, a French-Israeli professor, has also made significant contributions to debates following the Hamas attack in Israel in 2023, standing firmly against any form of antisemitism.
