Senior Professorship for Theory of Emotions & Modernity
Profile
Eva Illouz is Directrice of Studies at the Centre européen de sociologie et de science politique (CSE-EHESS) in Paris, and and senior professor for Theory of Emotions & Modernity at Zeppelin University. Her research and teaching focus on emotions, capitalism, culture and communication, in particular cultural aspects at the intersection of emotion and communication.
In 2009 the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT chose Illouz as one of the 12 thinkers most likely to change the thought of tomorrow. In 2013 she received the Anneliese-Maier International Award for Excellence in Research from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Several of her books won awards from the American Sociological Association. In 2018 Illouz received the Emet Prize in the category of social sciences. The jury stated: "The Emet Prize is awarded to Professor Eva Illouz for her groundbreaking insights into formation of the self in contemporary capitalist society and for the formulation of key concepts that have become milestones in international sociological thought."
Research
The research of Illouz focuses on the sociology of capitalism, the sociology of
emotions, the sociology of gender and the sociology of culture. Her work
explores several significant and thought-provoking themes, such as the
influence of capitalism on emotions, the commodification of romance and
the meaning of freedom, choice, and individualism in the modern world.
Publications
Illouz is the author of 14 books translated in 25 languages. Several of major works are: Consuming the Romantic Utopia: Love and the Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism (University of California press, 1997); Cold Intimacies: The Making of Emotional Capitalism (Polity Press, 2007); Why Love Hurts: A Sociological Explanation (Polity Press, 2012); Unloving: A Sociology of Negative Relations (Oxford University Press, 2018)