On 4 April, the Centre Ernest Lluch (CUIMPB) and the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy co-hosted a one-day seminar at the CCCB in Barcelona to explore the contemporary relevance of Albert O. Hirschman’s work. Bringing together scholars from political science, philosophy, history, sociology, media studies, and economics, the event offered a rich, multilingual conversation (in Catalan and Spanish) on Hirschman’s contributions and their resonance with today’s political and social questions. AHCD Researcher Yanina Welp acted as co-convener of the seminar.

Opening sessions unpacked the core of Hirschman’s thought, including his resistance to orthodoxy, his suspicion of universal solutions, and his “pragmatic idealism,” which sought out spaces for agency even in the most constrained of conditions. 

Later panels addressed themes such as inequality and development and the challenges posed by individualism and reactionary rhetoric in a time of social fragmentation. AHCD Postdoctoral Researcher Laura Bullon-Cassis presented her work on the move towards civil disobedience in the climate movement as part of a roundtable on the evolving role of Hirschman’s exit, voice, and loyalty framework in today’s democracies.

Speakers highlighted how Hirschman’s work continues to inspire a way of thinking that is modest yet ambitious - grounded in real-world observation, open to contradiction, and driven by a persistent search for the possible.

AHCD has been organising regular events on Hirschman's legacy, notably public lectures, workshops, and events at partner universities.