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Joris Luyendijk meets Barbara Ehrenreich

During this evening, Joris Luyendijk speaks with the American writer and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich on her life and work.

 

On Friday November 23rd The Erasmus Prize Foundation and De Balie organise a one-day festival on investigative journalism in honour of Erasmus Prize winner 2018 Barbara Ehrenreich. On November 27th, journalist and writer Barbara Ehrenreich (1941) will receive the Erasmus Prize at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. The theme of this year’s Erasmus Prize is ‘The Power of Investigative Journalism’. Barbara Ehrenreich is commended for her courage in putting herself on the line in her journalistic work. By leading the life of people in precarious situations, she gives a voice to groups in society that would otherwise remain unheard, and she lets us see life as people on the underside of society live it.

During this evening, Joris Luyendijk speaks with the American writer and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich on her life and work. A continuous theme in Barbara Ehrenreich’s work is the deceit (or myth) of the American dream. Recurring themes in her work are the labour market, health care, poverty and the position of women. These are themes that have become more and more urgent over the years. On this evening there will be an in-depth conversation between Joris Luyendijk and Barbara Ehrenreich, in which they will speak on Ehrenreich’s personal motives and journalistic choices, accompanied by images and clips from her life and work.

This event is a part of Investigative journalism festival honouring the work of Barbara Ehrenreich. For all the information you can click here.


Barbara Ehrenreich is a pioneer within the genre of immersive research journalism. She rose to international prominence with her book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, for which she spent months trying to survive on her earnings from what society calls ‘unskilled work’. A recurring pattern in her work is how deceiving the American Dream can be. She uses a scientific approach and blends it with a literary style and humour to engage her audience. Her working methods have inspired journalists all over the world.

Joris Luyendijk is a Dutch-born, writer and journalist. After half a decade in the Middle East as a correspondent, he was hired by The Guardian to investigate the culture of the city. Breaking the code of silence dominating the city, he found over 200 bankers and banking staff ready to talk freely about all the taboo subjects — the first investigation of the city of its kind. The resulting book was a sensation in his native country the Netherlands, selling over three hundred thousand copies in under a year while the English edition of ‘Swimming with Sharks’ met with high praise from, among others, the Financial Times. Translations are due for fifteen more countries, including China, Japan, the United States and France.

Speakers

Barbara Ehrenreich Journalist
Joris LuyendijkAuthor

Speakers

Nickel and DimedBarbara Ehrenreich

A recurring pattern in her work is how deceiving the American Dream can be