The Madame de Staël Prize is awarded to eminent scholars and intellectuals whose work represents a significant contribution to the cultural values of Europe and to the idea of European integration, thereby promoting and strengthening an understanding of Europe as multifaceted, intellectual, open and vibrant. The prize also seeks to underline the importance and value of outstanding scientific and intellectual activities for the advancement of the European project and our common values.
Europe is remarkable in that its definition and geographic boundaries have varied over the centuries, yet there has always been a kind of constant understanding of European culture as rooted in an inherent openness supported by a dynamic and vigorous intellectualism. In a time when the cultural diversity of Europe seems to be increasingly threatened by scepticism, extremism and instability, this prize serves to remind us of this deep-rooted and revered characteristic of Europe.
Helen Keller, 2021 Madame de Staël Prize Laureate
On the occasion of the 2021 ALLEA General Assembly, law scholar Helen Keller was announced as laureate of the 2021 Madame de Staël Prize. The Jury recognised Keller’s important contribution to the development and consolidation of human rights jurisprudence in Europe as well as her commitment to fundamental rights.
The Madame de Staël Prize Lecture is an annual scientific event hosted by ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities. The laureate of each year’s Madame de Staël Prize delivers an interactive lecture reflecting on current affairs in the European political and scientific landscape. The occasion serves as an open invitation to exchange views on the course of the European project among scientists, scholars, policymakers, and the public.
