Didier Eribon on Class and Inequality

How does social inequality shape the experience of growing older? This evening Philosopher Didier Eribon, one of the most influential French thinkers of his generation, will speak about the intersections of class, ageing, and inequality.

Eribon argues that we think far too little about old age: “It only concerns the people who are directly affected, and their children. Very old people form a political category that is not recognised as such. This is an economic, social, political, and moral problem.” (Didier Eribon in NRC, 2024)

Eribon’s work Returning to Reims (2018) became an international reference point for understanding class, social mobility, and inequality. In his latest book, The Life, Old Age, and Death of a Working-Class Woman (2024), Eribon turns his attention to the final stage of life. Reflecting on the decline and death of his mother, he explores how ageing, dependency, and care are deeply shaped by social inequalities.