The 102th birthday of Sir Isaiah Berlin was celebrated by a range of events. The Isaiah Berlin Day was opened by a talk of British author and editor of the writings of Isaiah Berlin Dr Henry Hardy about Berlin’s connection with Riga. A traditional expert discussion was dedicated to the topic “History and Memory”. The Third Isaiah Berlin Memorial Lecture “The Pleasures of Liberalism” was delivered by writer and thinker, author of the book „Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance” Ian Buruma.
15:00 – 16:00 Talk „My name is Isaiah Berlin and I come from Riga”
By Henry Hardy, Editor of the writings of Isaiah Berlin
16:00 – 17:30 Discussion "Politics of Memory”
Valters Nollendorfs, Chairman of the Association of the Museum of Occupation
Irina Viņņika, Riga City Council, MP (LPP/LC)
Vita Zelče, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, University of Latvia
Dmitrijs Petrenko, journalist, PhD student (University of Latvia)
Moderator: Nils Muižnieks, Director of the Advanced Social and Political Research Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Latvia
18:00 – 19:45 The Third Isaiah Berlin Memorial Lecture “The Pleasures of Liberalism”
Professor Ian Buruma, writer and thinker, author of the book „Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance”
Introductory remarks by Dr. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
