#USA #Santa Cruz #Donna Haraway #Erasmus Prize #Cyborg Manifesto

Donna Haraway Awarded the Erasmus Prize 2025

On April 8, 2025, the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation announced that the esteemed Erasmus Prize for 2025 has been awarded to Donna Haraway, an American philosopher and historian of science. This year, the theme of the award is "the quest for unity in diversity", a concept that resonates deeply within Haraway's work. Known for her profound insights into the interconnections among biology, literature, art, and socio-political engagement, Haraway’s scholarship challenges prevailing thought patterns that contradict humanistic ideals such as equality and openness.

Born in 1944 in Denver, Colorado, Haraway's academic journey began with a study of zoology and philosophy at Colorado College. A year spent in Paris exploring evolutionary philosophy was pivotal before she obtained her Ph.D. in biology from Yale University in 1972. Her teaching career included positions in women’s studies and the philosophy of science at both the University of Hawaii and Johns Hopkins University. From 1980 until her retirement, she served as a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, guiding numerous students through the intersections of history, consciousness, and feminist studies.

Haraway gained international acclaim with the release of her seminal work, Cyborg Manifesto in 1985, now revered as a classic of feminist theory. Through her concept of the cyborg—which merges human and machine—she prompts a rethinking of binaries like male and female, human and machine, and nature and culture. Haraway's critical analysis extends to Primate Visions (1990), where she meticulously examines primatology and emphasizes how our understanding of the natural world is intricately tied to issues of race and gender. For instance, she points out how language used by primatologists often reinforces culturally constructed gender differences.

In her more recent works, such as When Species Meet (2007) and Staying with the Trouble (2016), Haraway addresses the urgent need for coexistence with other organisms in an ecologically crisis-ridden world. She continues to blur the boundaries between human and non-human life, advocating for an ethical engagement that recognizes our interconnected fates.

The influence of Donna Haraway transcends the academic realm, as her innovative concepts and metaphors provide a creative lens through which to view contemporary crises. Her work has inspired multiple generations of philosophers, scientists, and artists who are actively engaging in the fight against sexism, racism, and speciesism. Due to her significant contributions, Haraway is considered one of the most influential voices in contemporary philosophy and art.

Throughout her career, Haraway has received numerous accolades, including the J.D. Bernal Award in 2000, the highest honor from the Society for Social Studies of Science. In 2020, she was honored with the Alfonso Reyes Prize for her ability to integrate diverse fields such as biology, economics, politics, culture, science fiction, feminism, and climate change.

The Erasmus Prize is awarded annually to individuals or institutions that have made exceptional contributions to the fields of humanities or the arts. His Majesty the King serves as the patron of the foundation, and the award comprises a monetary reward of €150,000, to be presented in the fall of 2025.

For more information about the Erasmus Prize, please visit www.erasmusprijs.org.