L’universalisme et ses critiques. L’héritage des Lumières

Presentation

The inaugural session of the Pôle Europe des Lumières seminar will take place on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, at the Paris Institute for Advanced Study.

The session will bring together three Brazilian scholars to examine the tensions and limitations of Enlightenment universalism. Their presentations will address, in turn, racism in Enlightenment thought, Hume’s analysis of power, and Rousseau’s critique of universalism.

Speakers

• Pedro Paulo Pimenta (University of São Paulo): The “biological” racism of the Enlightenment
• Maria Isabel Limongi (Federal University of Paraná): The sociology of power in Hume
• Rodrigo Brandão (Federal University of Paraná): Language, politics, and Rousseau’s critique of Enlightenment universalism

Organisation

The seminar is organised by Philippe Audegean, Christophe Martin, Céline Spector, and Manuel Roncero Iraizoz of Initiative Europe, with the support of the CAPES-COFECUB programme (Campus France) and the Paris Institute for Advanced Study.

Practical Information

Date: Tuesday, 20 October 2026 Time: 5:00–7:00 p.m. Venue: The Paris Institute for Advanced Study, 17 quai d’Anjou, 75004 Paris, France.

Registration is compulsory and subject to availability.

Programme and registration: https://initiative-europe.sorbonne-universite.fr/actualites/seminaire-du-pole-europe-des-lumieres