More than 200 Nights of Ideas are expected internationally, from Finland to South Africa and from Fiji to Peru, with increased resonance between countries and geographical areas. From Sydney to Mexico City, from Seoul to Beirut and from Lomé to Toronto, it is essentially local voices that will come to explore the theme « Close(r) ».

The 2021 edition will take on special significance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme « Close(r) » was chosen with the idea of questioning the renewal of our individual and collective relationship to space, the new solidarities that the crisis of our economic and social models calls for, or the role of digital technology in our societies, which shapes more than ever our relationship to the world. The theme « Close(r) » also invites us to question the evolution of our contemporary modes of sociality, and more than ever our relationship with others.

When the global health crisis is limiting international gatherings and mobility of people, the Institut français will offer everyone the opportunity to follow and take part in an unprecedented digital experience: 24 hours of Night and Ideas, which will cross time zones from Oceania to the West Coast of United States, promote the free circulation of ideas and knowledge, and make local experiences resonate in a great global live broadcast on social networks.

Thus, for 24 hours, the next Night of Ideas will be an opportunity to feel « closer » than ever, to strengthen connections and break down boundaries, to interact with other audiences, and to celebrate thinking without barriers.

See you on January 28th for 24 hours of non-stop live action!

Hartmut Rosa is a German sociologist and philosopher who is in line with the critical theory of the Frankfurt School. He teaches at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and directs the Max- Weber-Kolleg in Erfurt, Germany. He is internationally known for his studies on acceleration, which he has developed in his publications Acceleration (2013), Resonance (2018) and The Uncontrollability of the World (2020). Thinker of modernity, Hartmut Rosa questions our relationship to time, to the acceleration of the world’s progress, and proposes alternatives. He is the patron of the 2021 edition of the Night of Ideas.

• 75 countries on the 5 continents;
• 200 events;
• A 24-hour worldwide live.