Charles Taylor on "Democracy and its Crisis" Walter-Benjamin-Lectures 2019 Day 2

18. Juni 2019 „Marketization and Polarization”, Respondent: Patrizia Nanz (IASS Potsdam, Germany)
The second lecture examines the history of Western democracies since the Second World War in a perspective inspired by Karl Polanyi. According to the Austrian economic historian, unrestricted markets tend to become disembedded from society and to weaken the social fabric. Their expansion therefore needs to be met by a “second movement” which re-embeds the market. In many Western societies, the first 30 years after the Second World War represented such a second movement, but after 1975-80, the movement was halted and to some extent reversed. This is at the root of our present crisis.
In June 2019, the Humanities and Social Change Center Berlin launched its new event format, the annual Walter-Benjamin-Lectures. The Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor inaugurated the prominent series. In a sequence of three evening lectures (June 17th to 19th), Taylor addressed “Democracy and its Crises”, covering various forms of democratic deterioration, such as political alienation, increasing inequality, xenophobia and polarization, as well as possible ways out of crisis.
The Benjamin-Lectures are named after the Berlin-born philosopher Walter Benjamin and dedicated to his intellectual integrity and political commitment in the face of historical catastrophe. Each year, inspired by the Amsterdam Spinoza-lectures as well as the “Adorno-Vorlesungen” in Frankfurt, the Benjamin-Lectures will bring one leading critical theorist to Berlin. His or her public lectures will allow for a broad audience to partake in the latest debates on social and political issues of core concern. Prior to the lectures, the invited speaker will hold the Walter-Benjamin-Chair at the HSC Center Berlin and spend up to three months in close cooperation with the HSC academic community.
The Humanities and Social Change Center Berlin was founded in 2018 at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and is directed by Rahel Jaeggi. Research at the Center focuses on the crises of democracy and capitalism, spanning from diagnostic observation to conceptual groundwork. Hosting event series, a fellowship-program, and multiple research projects, the Center is a place both for scholarly work and social engagement.
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