Indignity, A Life Reimagined

War, rising nationalism and the movement of peoples are defining features of our era, reshaping the political landscape and challenging democratic institutions worldwide.

What does this historical resonance mean for modern European politics? How do the ghosts of the 20th century, its ideological battles and refugee crises, its cycles of hope and disillusionment, continue to haunt its democracies? As Europe once again confronts questions of borders, national identity and belonging, what lessons can we draw from those who lived through similar convulsions generations ago?

Drawing from her experience growing up in one of Europe’s most isolated regimes and family history, and scholarly work on freedom, citizenship, and political transformation, the acclaimed political philosopher Lea Ypi offers crucial insights into how regimes shape lives across generations, democracy’s fragility and what it means to sustain human dignity amid profound uncertainty.

In conversation with Sanjay Ruparelia at the Toronto Reference Library's Appel Salon.