Holberg Prize Talks

Stephen Greenblatt, John Cogan University Professor at Harvard University, is the 2016 Holberg Laureate. In this interview Greenblatt shares his thoughts on the role of New Historicism in literary studies, the socio-economic changes in the US in the 1960's and 1970's, and how the work of William Shakespeare is still relevant today, 400 years after his death. Greenblatt is interviewed by Charles Iv...

Marina Warner received the Holberg Prize in 2015 for her work on the analysis of stories and myths and how they reflect their time and place. Professor Dame Marina Warner, FBA, is Professor of English and Creative Writing at Birkbeck College, University of London, Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and Professorial Research Fellow at SOAS. Warner is Interviewed by Kari Jegerstedt from the Univer...

This lecture by Manuel Castells was held at the University of Nordland in Bodø, 15 May, 2014 as part of a series of Holberg Lectures celebrating the 10th year anniversary of the Holberg Prize. The Holberg Prize is awarded annually to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to research in the arts and humanities, social science, law or theology. Manuel Castells recieved the Holberg Prize i...

Fifty years after the 1968 revolt, how important are affects in influencing the behavior of voters, activists and policy makers? Achille Mbembe, Kathleen Cleaver and George Galloway met in Bergen on 1 December, 2018 to discuss these issues at the Holberg Debate: "Politics and Affects: The Dynamics of Social Mobilization". This recording is the keynote George Galloway held at the debate. George Gal...

Fifty years after the 1968 revolt, how important are affects in influencing the behavior of voters, activists and policy makers? Achille Mbembe, Kathleen Cleaver and George Galloway met in Bergen on 1December, 2018 to discuss these issues at the 2018 Holberg Debate: "Politics and Affects: The Dynamics of Social Mobilization" This recording is the keynote Achille Mbembe held at the debate. Achille...

The Danish theologian Frederik Poulsen was awarded the 2020 Nils Klim Prize for his outstanding contributions to Old Testament Studies. His work is characterised by an innovative combination of historical-critical and literary methodologies that have enabled him to cast new light on the ancient texts of the bible. Frederik Poulsen is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Theology at the University...

Professor Timothy Garton Ash of the University of Oxford is the keynote speaker of the first Holberg Debate in 2016. He was invited to elaborate on the central themes of his book "Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World". Following an interview with Anine Kierulf, Professor Garton Ash joins in a panel discussion with Jostein Gripsrud and Kari Steen-Johnsen about dilemmas related to free...

The 2020 Holberg Prize is awarded to British-Canadian scholar Griselda Pollock for her groundbreaking contributions to feminist art history and cultural studies. In this interview, Pollock discusses her background and her research, the history of art history, the women's movement, and more. Griselda Pollock is Professor of Social and Critical Histories of Art and Director of CentreCATH (Centre for...

At the 2020 Holberg Debate, Amb. John Bolton and Member of the Hellenic Parliament Yanis Varoufakis discussed current threats to regional and global stability. The debate took place on 5 December and was chaired from Bergen, Norway. At the 2020 Holberg Debate we were joined via videolink by two top speakers who have both been important policy makers at crucial times in their respective countries:...

Slavoj Žižek has been called the «the most dangerous philosopher in the West» and a cultural theorist superstar, as he mixes Marxism with pop culture and psychoanalysis. In an age where the principles of the free marked have become the driving force of both the economy, public services, foreign policy, and education, “communism” remains a dirty word among the political establishment. Three decades...

2019 Nils Klim Laureate Finnur Dellsén is Senior Lecturer of Philosophy at the University of Iceland. In this interview he discusses a range of topics, including his research in the philosophy of science, when to trust experts, and what constitutes scientific progress. Interviewer is Ole Thomassen Hjortland, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Bergen. The Holberg Prize is awarded annu...

In this interview, 2019 Holberg Prize Laureate Paul Gilroy discusses a range of topics, including his childhood and adolesence in post-colonial Britain, his research on race and identity, and how to best meet the threats posed by neo-fascism and the climate crisis. Paul Gilroy is Professor of the Humanities and Director of the Centre for the Study of Race and Racism at UCL. Interviewer is Bjørn En...

In connection with the Holberg Committee meeting in Rome on 8 January, 2019, Committee member Mary Beard held a lecture at the Royal Norwegian Embassy on 7 January. The title of the lecture was: "What's the Point of Ancient Rome". Mary Beard is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, a fellow of Newnham College, and Royal Academy of Arts Professor of Ancient Literature. She is the Cl...

In this interview 2018 Nils Klim Laureate Franscesca R. Jensenius discusses her research, her background and more with Elana Wilson Rowe, Senior Research Fellow at NUPI. Dr. Jensenius, Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), will receive the 2018 Nils Klim Prize for her research on elections, development patterns, and the empowerment of minority groups an...

If people have freedom of choice, do their lives go better? Under what conditions? By what criteria? Consider three distinct problems: (1) In countless situations, human beings face a serious problem of “navigability”; they do not know how to get to their preferred destination, whether the issue involves health, education, employment, or well-being in general. This problem is especially challengin...

For the Holberg Masterclass on June 4, 2018, The Holberg Prize invited six Nordic PhD candidates to discuss the topic "What to do about Human Error" with 2018 Holberg Laureate Cass Sunstein. The event took place at the University of Bergen, Norway. What to Do About Human Error. In recent decades, we have learned a great deal about human error. For example, people tend to focus on the present rathe...

The 2018 Nils Klim Laureate Francesca R. Jensenius presents her research and discusses the use of electoral quotas in India with Pradeep Chhibber, Pratap Mehta and Anne Waldrop. Electoral quotas have played an important role in Indian politics for the past century. Many groups have demanded and still demand quotas, often on the basis of arguments that quotas are needed to bring “their” perspective...

Should free speech laws be changed, and if so, how? How should the US approach the issue of gun control? And has the US Supreme Court become too politicized? These are some of the questions that 2018 Holberg Laureate Cass Sunstein addresses in this interview. Interviewer: Professor Ivar Bleiklie Photo: Rose Lincoln

I 2011 vant Jørn Jacobsen Nils Klim-prisen for sin forskning på norsk strafferett. I dette intervjuet fra 2017 snakker han blant annet om hvorfor han valgte en akademisk karriere, om verdien av rettsteori og om utfordringer for strafferetten. Intervjuet er foretatt av Marita Ramsvik for Holbergprisen.

Professor Claes de Vreese speaks on the topic of “Dealing with Populism: A Challenge for the News Media.” The lecture took place on 9 February 2018, at a reception for the Holberg Prize at the Royal Norwegian Honorary Consulate General. In 2004, de Vreese was the very first recipient of the Nils Klim Prize, awarded by the Holberg Prize organization to researchers under the age of 35, also in human...

In 2004, Claes de Vreese became the first Nils Klim Laureate. In this 2017 interview, he discusses pressing political issues and describes his research interests, which range from political communication and media framing to electoral behavior, and more. De Vreese is interviewed by Marita Ramsvik for the Holberg Prize.

Are we currently seeing a global war of information that is escalating, both openly and covertly, far beyond what many of us are aware of? And to what extent does the presence of propaganda and manipulated information in news and social media threaten our democracy and our ability to make informed decisions? 00:00:00 Introduction 00:10:19 Keynote address - Julian Assange 00:29:42 Interview with As...

Holberg Laureates Stephen Greenblatt and Manuel Castells discuss the status of the humanities and the social sciences, at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, September 22, 2017.

Holberg Laureates Stephen Greenblatt and Manuel Castells discuss the status of the humanities and the social sciences, at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, September 22, 2017.

The Norwegian Economist Katrine Vellesen Løken was awarded the Nils Klim Prize in 2017 for her research on the Nordic welfare states, with particular emphasis on family economics, labour economics and health economics. In this interview Vellesen Løken talks about her research, developments in the field of Economics and her future plans. Interviewer; Ole Andreas Sandmo Photo: Thor Brødreskift / The...