Korean-born German philosopher Han Byung-chul recognized in Spain for advancing humanities, social thought
Korean-born German philosopher and essayist Han Byung-chul has been named the recipient of Spain's 2025 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, the award committee announced Thursday.
The Princess of Asturias Awards recognize “the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out at an international level by individuals, institutions or groups of individuals or institutions.”
Considered one of the most prominent contemporary philosophers, Han has developed the concepts of the “burnout society," the “transparency society” and "shanzhai," a Chinese neologism meaning "fake," through which he traces the mode of deconstruction in Chinese culture, according to the jury for the award, convened by the Princess of Asturias Foundation.
Born in 1959, Han studied German literature and theology at the University of Munich, and philosophy at the University of Freiburg, where he received a Ph.D. in 1994 for his dissertation on Martin Heidegger. He has taught at the University of Basel (Switzerland, 2000-2012) and has lectured in philosophy and cultural studies at the University of Fine Arts in Berlin, after having worked at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, alongside philosophy and media art professor Peter Sloterdijk.
This year’s Communication and Humanities Award saw 47 nominations from 16 countries. It is the first of the eight Princess of Asturias Awards to be announced in the prize’s 45th edition. The corresponding awards in the categories of literature, social sciences the arts, sports, concord, technical and scientific research and international cooperation will be announced in the coming weeks.
The awards ceremony will be held in October in Oviedo, Spain, and will be presided over by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, alongside Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia.
Each laureate receives a Joan Miro sculpture, a diploma, an insignia and a cash prize of 50,000 euros ($56,500).
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