“The way he yokes together archival research, literary criticism and philosophy to construct complex and nuanced theoretical positions that engage with important historical debates and emphasise their relevance to the present moment is highly impressive. The richness of his work provides a vast amount of food for thought about Jewish identity and our positioning within broader society and culture, and I am delighted to see it recognised in this way.”
The other Balzan Prize winners are Italian sociologist Elena Esposito, Danish biologist Rasmus Nielsen and American chemist Geoffrey W Coates. Each award totals 750,000 Swiss Francs (almost £700k), half of which must be used to develop young scholars.
The International Balzan Foundation was founded in 1957 by Lina Balzan after the death of her father, the Italian journalist and newspaper co-owner Eugenio Balzan. Four years later, Lina established the prize to support the fields of culture, science and humanitarianin projects that promote peace. Since 1961, there have been 175 winners, including Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, astronomer Fred Hoyle and Catholic nun and saint Mother Teresa.
By Danielle Goldstein
Header photo by Sameer A Khan
Find out more about the Balzan Prize at balzan.org.
