#USA #Santa Cruz #Philosophy #Donna Haraway #Erasmus Prize

Donna Haraway Awarded the Erasmus Prize 2025

The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation has announced that the 2025 Erasmus Prize will be awarded to the acclaimed philosopher and historian of science, Donna Haraway. The theme for this year, "the pursuit of what connects us," resonates profoundly with Haraway's work, which intricately examines the relationships between biology, literature, art, and social-political engagement.

As the spirit of Erasmus in his The Praise of Folly challenged prevailing thought and human behaviors that contradict humanistic ideals such as equality and open-mindedness, Haraway extends this challenge, addressing not only human concerns but also the rights and experiences of all living beings.

Born in 1944 in Denver, Colorado, Haraway's academic journey began with her studies in zoology and philosophy at Colorado College. A year spent in Paris deepened her exploration of evolutionary philosophy, culminating in a Ph.D. in biology from Yale University in 1972. Throughout her career, she held positions in women's studies and philosophy of science at institutions like the University of Hawaii and Johns Hopkins University. From 1980 until her retirement, she was a professor of history of consciousness and feminist studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Haraway's pioneering work, Cyborg Manifesto (1985), quickly became a feminist classic, using the metaphor of the cyborg — a fusion of human and machine — to destabilize traditional binaries such as male and female, human and machine, nature and culture. This innovative approach to thinking about identity and existence continued with her later work, including Primate Visions (1990), which scrutinizes primatology through a lens that reveals deep-seated connections between our perceptions of the natural world and issues of race and gender. For instance, the terminology employed 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 delves into how humans might coexist harmoniously with other organisms in an era marked by ecological crisis. Yet again, she interrogates the divides between human life and the lives of other species.

Haraway’s influence stretches far beyond academic institutions; her novel concepts and metaphors offer a creative, critical lens on contemporary crises. Generations of philosophers, scientists, and artists have drawn inspiration from her work, particularly in efforts to combat sexism, racism, and speciesism. For these reasons, Haraway has emerged as one of the most significant voices in contemporary philosophy and art.

Throughout her illustrious career, Haraway has garnered numerous accolades, including the J.D. Bernal Prize in 2000, the highest honor from the Society for Social Studies of Science. In 2020, she was awarded the Alfonso Reyes Prize of Nuevo León for her unique ability to intertwine themes of biology, economy, politics, culture, science fiction, feminism, and climate change.

The Erasmus Prize, given annually to individuals or institutions that have made substantial contributions to the humanities or the arts, will present Haraway with a reward of 150,000 euros at a ceremony in autumn 2025, endorsed by His Majesty the King as the foundation’s patron.

More information can be found at Erasmus Prize.