Lecture and Colloquium with Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui “Catharsis and Conversion”

Aspen Institute España joins the Círculo de Bellas Artes and La Fábrica to organize the first edition of the Festival of Ideas. As part of this event, Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui, Professor of Greek Philology at the Complutense University of Madrid and Aspen España Fellow, will participate as a speaker in a talk titled “Catharsis and Conversion: Two Greek Concepts for Our Time”. This conversation will take place on Friday, September 20, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid (C/ Alcalá, 42). Admission is free until full capacity is reached.

Catharsis and Conversion: Two Greek Concepts for Our Time

Catharsis and conversion are two concepts originating in ancient Greece that metaphorically express processes of inner transformation in human beings: catharsis primarily implies purification, while metanoia signifies a change in direction. However, in religious, political, or individual contexts, the history, evolution, and implications of each concept differ significantly, and explicit contrasts often arise between catharsis and conversion as opposing ways to forge new collective and individual identities. Today, they also represent two distinct models for addressing political and social reality in any proposal aimed at achieving profound change in a fragmented and polarized society. Like many other categories from classical Greece, they help us not only to understand the ancient world but also our own.

SPEAKER

Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui is a professor of Greek Philology at the Complutense University of Madrid and an Aspen España Fellow. He holds degrees in Law and Classics, a Ph.D. in Classical Philology and History of Religions, and has conducted research at institutions such as the Max Planck Institute, Harvard, Oxford (Christ Church), Zurich, and Bologna (Royal Spanish College). He is the author of numerous studies on the philosophy, literature, politics, and religion of ancient Greece, as well as on the reception of classical culture in early Christianity and modernity. His most recent books include El pensamiento narrativo (Sílex, 2023, co-authored with Fernando Ariza) and Catábasis: el viaje infernal en la Antigüedad (Alianza, 2023). He also served as a technical advisor to the Education Department of the Community of Madrid (2012-2014). As an Aspen Institute España Fellow, he participates in and moderates seminars.

FESTIVAL DE LAS IDEAS