Rahel Jaeggi (born July 19, 1967) is a professor of

practical philosophy The modern division of philosophy into theoretical philosophy and practical philosophyImmanuel Kant, ''Lectures on Ethics'', Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 41 ("On Universal Practical Philosophy"). Original text: Immanuel Kant, ''Kant’s Gesa ...

and

social philosophy Social philosophy examines questions about the foundations of social institutions, social behavior, and interpretations of society in terms of ethical values rather than empirical relations. Social philosophers emphasize understanding the social ...

at the

Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

. Her research areas are in social philosophy,

political philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, ...

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

philosophical anthropology Philosophical anthropology, sometimes called anthropological philosophy, is a discipline dealing with questions of metaphysics and phenomenology of the human person. History Ancient Christian writers: Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ...

social ontology Social ontology is a domain-specific branch of ontology (philosophy) which studies the nature and properties of the social world. Social ontology deals with examining the various entities in the world arising from social interaction. Notable conte ...

, and

critical theory A critical theory is any approach to social philosophy that focuses on society and culture to reveal, critique and challenge power structures. With roots in sociology and literary criticism, it argues that social problems stem more from s ...

. Since February 2018 she has been the head of the Berlin campus of the newly founded International Center for Humanities and Social Change.

Biography

Rahel Jaeggi is the daughter of Swiss sociologist

Urs Jaeggi Urs Jaeggi (23 June 1931 in Solothurn – 13 February 2021 in Berlin) was a Swiss sociologist, painter, and author from Solothurn, Switzerland. From 1964 to 1993, he was a Professor of Sociology and Social Philosophy in Bern, Bochum, New York, ...

and Austrian psychoanalyst and author Eva Jaeggi. Prior to working as a research assistant to Prof. Dr.

Axel Honneth Axel Honneth (; ; born 18 July 1949) is a German philosopher who is the Professor for Social Philosophy at Goethe University Frankfurt and the Jack B. Weinstein Professor of the Humanities in the department of philosophy at Columbia University ...

(1996-2001) at the Philosophical Institute of the University of Frankfurt (Chair of Social Philosophy) and at the

Institute for Social Research The Institute for Social Research (german: Institut für Sozialforschung, IfS) is a research organization for sociology and continental philosophy, best known as the institutional home of the Frankfurt School and critical theory. Currently a pa ...

, Jaeggi studied at the

Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

(1990 - 1996). She completed her studies with a thesis (''Magistra Artium'') on the political philosophy of

Hannah Arendt Hannah Arendt (, , ; 14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) was a political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. She is widely considered to be one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century. Arendt was born ...

. In 1999 she was a visiting scholar at the

New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSS ...

, New York. She wrote her doctoral thesis on the concept of alienation (''Freiheit und Indifferenz – Versuch einer Rekonstruktion des Entfremdungsbegriffs'', 2002). Research and teaching positions brought her to

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

, the

in New York City, and the University of Frankfurt. She wrote her

habilitation thesis Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

on the theme ''Critique of Forms of Life'' at the University of Frankfurt. Since 2009 she has been the chair of practical philosophy and social philosophy at the

. During the academic year of 2015–2016, Jaeggi was Theodor Heuss Visiting Professor in Philosophy at

The New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSS ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. In 2017 and 2018 she co-organized (with The New School's

Alice Crary Alice Crary (; born 1967) is an American philosopher who currently holds the positions of University Distinguished Professor at the Graduate Faculty, The New School for Social Research in New York City and Visiting Fellow at Regent's Park Colle ...

) the ''Kritische Theorie in Berlin'' Summer School (Progress, Regression, and Social Change) in

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. Together with Daniel Loick, Jaeggi was the main organizer of the international conference "Re-thinking Marx", which took place from 20 to 22 May 2011 at the Humboldt-University of Berlin. During the conference 50 well-known scholars, including the philosopher

Étienne Balibar Étienne Balibar (; ; born 23 April 1942) is a French philosopher. He has taught at the University of Paris X-Nanterre, at the University of California Irvine and is currently an Anniversary Chair Professor at the Centre for Research in Modern E ...

, the sociologist

Saskia Sassen Saskia Sassen (born January 5, 1947) is a Dutch-American sociologist noted for her analyses of globalization and international human migration. She is Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University in New York City, and Centen ...

, the political scientist Wendy Brown and the social philosopher Axel Honneth discussed topics such as freedom, justice, exploitation and alienation. Jaeggi receives funding from the Humanities & Social Change International Foundation (established by the businessman and politician of SPD

Erck Rickmers Erck Rickmers (born 29 April 1964 in Bremerhaven) is a German businessman and politician of the SPD (Social Democratic Party). He was an MP from 2011 to 2012. Early life and education Erck Rickmers was born and grew up in Bremerhaven. He come ...

) to conduct a research project on the ''Crisis of Capitalism and Democracy''. In May 2018, together with Sabine Hark, Kristina Lepold and Thomas Seibert, she hosted the international conference ''Emancipation'', which took place at the

Technical University Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It wa ...

.Emancipation
25. - 27.5.2018 Haus der Kulturen der Welt; Humboldt University; Technical University Berlin. ''Critical Theory in Berlin''.

Selected works in English

Books

''Alienation''
New York:

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fie ...

, 2014.
''Capitalism: A Conversation in Critical Theory''
(with

Nancy Fraser Nancy Fraser (; born May 20, 1947) is an American philosopher, critical theorist, feminist, and the Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Political and Social Science and professor of philosophy at The New School in New York City.Jadžić, Milo� ...

). Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2018.
''Critique of Forms of Life''
Cambridge, MA:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

, 2018. About Rahel Jaeggi:
''From Alienation to Forms of Life - The Critical Theory of Rahel Jaeggi''
(edited by

Amy Allen Amy Allen (born October 24, 1976) is an American actress and film crew member who portrayed the Jedi Master Aayla Secura in ''Star Wars'' films released in 2002 and 2005. She worked behind the scenes on many different movies, including ''A.I. ...

and Eduardo Mendieta). Penn State Series in Critical Theory. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2018.

Essays

"What (if Anything) Is Wrong with Capitalism"
Working Paper 01/2013 of the DFG–Forschungskolleg Postwachstumsgesellschaften,

Friedrich-Schiller University The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The u ...

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...

, 2013.
"What is a (good) Institution?"
in: ''Social Philosophy and Critique'', Rainer Forst, Martin Hartmann, Rahel Jaeggi and

Martin Saar Martin Saar (born 30 April 1980) is an Estonian artist who currently lives and works between New York City and Tallinn, Estonia. Life and work Saar was born in Tallinn, Estonia. He gained his MA in drawing at the New York Academy of Art in 2014 ...

(ed.), 2009.
"Re-Thinking Ideology"
in: ''New Waves in Political Philosophy'', Christopher Zurn, Boujdewijn de Bruijn (ed.), 2008. * "No Individual Can Do Anything Against It: Adorno's

Minima Moralia ''Minima Moralia: Reflections from Damaged Life'' (german: Minima Moralia: Reflexionen aus dem beschädigten Leben) is a 1951 book by the philosopher Theodor W. Adorno and a seminal text in critical theory. Adorno started writing it during Wo ...

as a Critique of Forms of Life" in: ''Dialectic of Freedom'',

(ed.), Suhrkamp, 2005.
"Solidarity and Indifference"
in: ''Solidarity and Care in the European Union'', R. Termeulen and R. Houtepen (ed.), Kluwer, 2001.
"The Market's Price"
in: ''Constellations'', volume 8, nº 3, 2001.

References

External links

Official website of the Humboldt-University of Berlin

Website of Critical Theory in Berlin
events of the Practical Philosophy and Social Philosophy chair of the

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaeggi, Rahel 21st-century Swiss philosophers 1967 births Continental philosophers Frankfurt School Critical theorists Free University of Berlin alumni Academic staff of Goethe University Frankfurt Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Living people People from Bern Political philosophers Social philosophers Swiss ethicists Swiss political philosophers Swiss writers in German The New School faculty Swiss women philosophers