Until not so long ago, some parts of the world—namely, the West— were thought to be solid, steady, stable. Other parts of the world—namely, the non-West— were thought to be liquid, not yet settled. Since 2016 it has become increasingly clear to citizens across the world that there are no solid and in fact, we are all living in liquid times.
Fear, anger, anxiety, resentment… emotions guide and misguide politics. The more “informed” we are the less we know. The less we know the less we understand. And the less we understand the bigger our fears. How can we remain sane in the age of populism? Should we retreat into tribes of our own and try to feel more secure there; should we create new tribes, or should we, and can we, find a way beyond tribalism?
Elif Shafak (@Elif_Safak) Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist and the most widely read female author in Turkey. She writes in both Turkish and English, and has published seventeen books, eleven of which are novels. Her work has been translated into fifty languages. Shafak holds a PhD in political science and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK, including St Anne's College, Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow. She is a member of Weforum Global Agenda Council on Creative Economy and a founding member of ECFR (European Council on Foreign Relations). An advocate for women's rights, LGBT rights and freedom of speech, Shafak is an inspiring public speaker and twice a TED Global speaker, each time receiving a standing ovation. Shafak contributes to major publications around the world and she has been awarded the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. In 2017 she was chosen by Politico as one of the twelve people who would make the world better. She has judged numerous literary prizes and is chairing the Wellcome Prize 2019.
Jonathan White (@JonathanPJWhite) is Deputy Head of the European Institute and Professor in Politics at LSE.
Twitter hashtags for this event: #LSEFestival #NewWorldDisorders
This event is part of the LSE Festival: New World (Dis)Orders running from Monday 25 February to Saturday 2 March 2019, with a series of events exploring how social science can tackle global problems.
Podcast & Video
A podcast of this event is available to download from How to Remain Sane in the Age of Populism.
The Facebook stream of this event is available to watch at How to Remain Sane in the Age of Populism.
Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.