Loneliness, defined as involuntary solitude, is a major cause for concern in Western industrial societies. The experiences of the pandemic have particularly brought the societal consequences of social isolation into sharp relief, placing them at the centre of public attention. Today, loneliness is increasingly being recorded statistically as a »burden of loneliness,« diagnosed as a symptom of »lost communities,« and being addressed politically as a societal risk. Countermeasures range from social and medical prevention programs and national strategy papers to the establishment of dedicated political offices. The ubiquity of loneliness diagnoses forms the starting point for the Mosse Lectures in the winter semester of 2026/27.

Moving beyond a purely pathological perspective, the focus will lie on the fundamental ambivalence of experiences of loneliness, as already expressed in the conceptual distinction between »loneliness« and »solitude.« Figures of loneliness have been and continue to be conceived in philosophy, literature, music, and the visual arts, appearing not only as an expression of social isolation but also as a prerequisite for aesthetic experience, existential self-reflection, and individual freedom. In the 19th century, the proponents of a programmatic, at times euphoric conception of loneliness in modernity linked the retreat into nature with projects of nature writing.

The Mosse Lectures explore the vitality of this tradition in contemporary literature, film, and popular culture, examining in particular the relationship between »Eleanor Rigby« and »Lonesome Hero,« female, male, and queer figures of loneliness – navigating the spectrum between isolation and self-determination – as well as the gender-specific, cultural and political connotations of being alone.

The lecture series will be complemented by an accompanying film program, which will be shown on six evenings in January and February 2027 in collaboration with the Zeughauskino at Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin.

PLEASE NOTE: The Mosse Lectures take place in the Senatssaal of Humboldt University [Unter den Linden 6]. The room is barrier-free.