Free: coming of age at the end of history

Join us as Lea Ypi discusses her memoir and her experiences growing up in Albania, the last Stalinist outpost in Europe during the fall of communism in 1990.

With the the statues of Stalin and Hoxha were topple, almost overnight, people could vote and worship freely, and invest in hopes of striking it rich. But factories shut, jobs disappeared, and thousands fled to Italy, only to be sent back. Pyramid schemes bankrupted the country, leading to violence. One generation’s dreams became another’s disillusionment. As her own family’s secrets were revealed, Ypi found herself questioning what "freedom" really means. With acute insight and wit, Ypi traces the perils of ideology, and what people need to flourish.

Meet our speaker and chair

Lea Ypi (@lea_ypi) is Professor in Political Theory in the Government Department, London School of Economics, and Adjunct Associate Professor in Philosophy at the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University.

Mary Kaldor (@KaldorM) is Professor of Global Governance and Director of the Conflict and Civil Society Research Unit in the LSE Department of International Development.

More about this event

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LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economics and Political Science.