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Erich Fromm Lecture 2022

Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Wirth will give the Erich Fromm Lecture 2022 on November 30 at the International Psychoanalytic University Berlin

The Erich Fromm Study Center organizes an annual Erich Fromm Lecture at the IPU Berlin. This years' speaker is Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Wirth.

"Feelings Make Politics: Populism, Pandemic, War and the Chance of Vulnerability"

Feelings accompany us constantly. We cannot help but react emotionally to our fellow human beings and our environment, but also to the impulses from our own bodies. Feelings also play a central role in politics, social disputes, and social movements. The affective furor unleashed by populism bundles feelings of impotent rage, blind hatred, envy, bitterness, and desires for revenge into resentments that poison social coexistence. But feelings of concern, grief, compassion, empathy, and hope that connect to human vulnerability open up the chance for alternative perspectives. Current crises and political conflicts will be used to illustrate how feelings influence political action and how feelings are used to make politics.

Hans-Jürgen Wirth, Prof. Dr., Dipl.-Psych., is a psychological psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, and psychoanalytic couple and family therapist in private practice. He is Professor of Sociology and Psychoanalytic Social Psychology at the University of Frankfurt am Main, founder of the Psychosozial-Verlag and co-editor of the journals psychosozial and Psychoanalytic Family Therapy. Selected book publications: Narcissism and Power (English Ed. 2009); Grenzerfahrungen. Migration, Flucht, Vertreibung und die deutschen Verhältnisse [Border Experiences: Migration, Flight, Displacement, and the German Conditions] (ed. with R. Haubl 2019); Gefühle machen Politik. Populismus, Ressentiments und die Chancen der Verletzlichkeit [Feelings make politics: Populism, Resentment, and the Chances of Vulnerability] (2022).

On the Event

Wednesday, November 30, 2022, 7 p.m.
The public lecture will be given in German. Dr. Rainer Funk, co-director of the Erich Fromm Study Center, will give a welcome address and introducation. Prof. Dr. Thomas Kühn, who holds the IPU Berlin Erich Fromm Professorship and is also co-director of the Erich Fromm Study Center, will moderate the event. After the lecture, the Erich Fromm Study Center would like to invite all guests to a reception.

The event will take place at the IPU Berlin (lecture room 1, building 2, Stromstraße 2, 10555 Berlin). It is funded by the Karl Schlecht Foundation. Entry is free of charge. Due to pandemic regulations, registration for the event is required. It is recommended to wear a face mask covering mouth and nose during the event. The event will be streamed online via Zoom; the link will be provided after registration.

Registration: You can register to participate face-to-face at the IPU Berlin or online (Zoom) via the participation form on the IPU Berlin website. Deadline for registrations is November 23.