ON EDGE / UNBEHAGEN is the guiding theme of the eighth Vienna Humanities Festival, returning with a rich lineup of keynotes, panels, and critical conversations. Vienna will once again become a hub for some of the world’s most brilliant thinkers, artists, writers, and journalists as they explore the symptoms of the pervasive crises of our time.
The festival opens with four major keynotes:
Lyndal Roper (Oxford) launches the series at the Wien Museum with a deep dive into the German Peasants’ War of 1525, exploring how a neglected class took Martin Luther’s revolutionary teachings seriously and how history—and ideology—later reshaped its legacy. Followed by a conversation with IWM Rector Misha Glenny.
Wednesday, 24 September, 18:30, Wien Museum
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Italian philosopher Federica Gregoratto explores love as a force of individual and collective transformation. Drawing on Plato, Hegel, de Beauvoir, Audre Lorde and others, she investigates how love operates in both philosophy and politics. In conversation with VHF co-founder Dessy Gavrilova.
Thursday, 25 September, 19:00, Radiokulturhaus
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Historian Natasha Wheatley examines the afterlife of the Habsburg Empire and its role in shaping modern ideas of sovereignty, based on her acclaimed book 'The Life and Death of States'. In conversation with Wien Museum director Matti Bunzl.
Friday, 26 September, 18:30, Wien Museum
Registere here
Author and sociologist Didier Eribon presents the final keynote at Volkstheater, reflecting on political agency, voice, and visibility, drawn from his latest book 'The Life, Old Age, and Death of a Working-Class Woman'. Followed by a conversation with Ivan Krastev, IWM Albert Hirschmann Permanent Fellow.
Saturday, 27 September, 19:30, Volkstheater
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The festival weekend (Sept 27–28) at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna features panels on technology, European identity, China’s global role, and AI in art. Guests include Naomi Alderman, Perry Anderson, Lydia Cacho, Gary Gerstle, Yascha Mounk, Catrin Misselhorn, Sergey Radchenko, Kai Strittmatter, and many more.
A closing panel with psychiatrist Victor Blüml and historian Hannah Zeavin explores how today’s rapid social transformations affect the human psyche.
Sunday, 28 September, 18:30, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien
