Celebrating Hilde Himmelweit: women, scholarship, and LSE’s intellectual history
Speakers
Join us to celebrate Hilde Himmelweit as part of LSE’s 130th anniversary programme, honouring the life and legacy of Hilde Himmelweit (1918–1989), a pioneering refugee scholar and one of the very few women to hold a professorship at the School in its early history.
Appointed Professor of Social Psychology in 1964, she played a pivotal role in establishing Social Psychology as a recognised field at LSE and made internationally influential contributions to media and communication research. Her landmark study Television and the Child (1958), the first major empirical investigation of television’s effects in the UK, helped shape debates about media and society for decades to come. Himmelweit’s remarkable journey, from forced migration to intellectual leadership, offers a unique perspective on the history of LSE, the contributions of refugee scholars, and the achievements of women in higher education. Bringing together colleagues, former students, family, and scholars, this event will reflect on her scholarship, leadership, and enduring impact on LSE and beyond.
Meet our speakers and chair
Susan Himmelweit is Emerita Professor of Economics at The Open University and the daughter of Hilde Himmelweit. A past President of the International Association for Feminist Economics, she is also the founding Chair and an active member of the UK think tank the Women’s Budget Group. Her research focused on gender, care, and intra-household inequality, with a particular focus on the gender implications of economic and social policy.
Sandra Jovchelovitch is Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at LSE, directing the MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology. Her research focuses on community psychology, social representations, and development under adversity. She advises governments, international organisations, and NGOs on leveraging community knowledge for mental health and peace. Her publications include Knowledge in Context and the Favelas Communiqué.
Sonia Livingstone is Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. The author of over 20 books, she has advised the UK Government, the European Commission, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and UNICEF on media literacy, children’s rights, and digital risks and opportunities. She also directs the Digital Futures for Children Centre.
Shani Orgad is Professor of Media and Communications in the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. Her research and teaching focus on gender, inequality, migration, and feminist approaches to media and culture. She is the author of numerous journal articles, reports, and books, including Confidence Culture (with Rosalind Gill) and Heading Home: Motherhood, Work, and the Failed Promise of Equality.
Terhi Rantanen is Professor of Global Media and Communications in the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. She is the author of more than 120 publications, including nine authored and edited books. Her most recent book is Dead Men’s Propaganda: Ideology and Utopia in Comparative Communications Studies. Her research focuses on global media, news, and the history of media and communication studies.
Myria Georgiou is Professor and Head of the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. Author and editor of six books and over sixty peer-reviewed publications, her research explores migration, urban diversity, media, and social change. Professor Georgiou has served as a consultant to various regional and international organisations, including the Council of Europe on several major projects.
More about this event
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The Department of Media and Communications is a world-leading centre for education and research in communication and media studies at the heart of LSE’s academic community in central London.
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