Julia Watkin Memorial Lectures

    Julia Watkin Memorial Lectures

    The Julia Watkin Memorial Lecture Series was inaugurated in 2006 by the Hong Kierkegaard Library in memory of Julia Watkin (1944–2005), a distinguished and widely respected scholar in the field of Søren Kierkegaard studies. Dr. Watkin was known for her rigorous scholarship, her generosity toward fellow researchers and students, and her lasting contributions to the international Kierkegaard community. The lecture series honors her legacy by inviting leading scholars to present new research and reflections on Kierkegaard’s thought and its continuing significance.

    Typically held once or twice each academic year, the Julia Watkin Memorial Lectures bring distinguished speakers from around the world to share their work with students, faculty, and the broader scholarly community. The lectures reflect the wide range of contemporary engagement with Kierkegaard’s writings—spanning philosophy, theology, literature, and cultural studies—while fostering dialogue between established scholars, emerging researchers, and the public. Many lectures are recorded and made available online, helping extend the conversation beyond the campus and contributing to the ongoing global exchange in Kierkegaard studies.

    Find detailed information about speakers and topics (as well as links to recordings) below:

    Fall 2025
    “Introducing Kierkegaard—and Encountering Ourselves” – Recording forthcoming.
    Speaker: Bruce Kirmmse, Professor Emeritus of History, Connecticut College – Recording
    More information here.

    Spring 2025
    “Where’s the Archimedean Point? Kierkegaard on Existential Orientation in Life’s Crises” – Recording
    Speaker: Claudia Welz, Aarhus University, Denmark
    More information here.

    Fall 2024
    “The Enigma of Adler’s Revelation” – Recording
    Speaker: Jon Stewart, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia
    More information here.

    Spring 2024
    “The Kierkegaardian Text” – Recording
    Speaker: Joakim Garff, Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen
    More information here.

    Fall 2023
    “The Existential Need of Anxiety: Kierkegaard and the Current Mental Health Crisis” – Recording
    Speaker: René Rosfort, Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
    More information here.

    Spring 2023
    “Thought Projects and Imaginary Constructions: Kierkegaard’s Experimenting Mind” – Recording
    Speaker: Eleanor Helms, California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California
    More information here.

    Fall 2022
    “My Walk with Kierkegaard: Agreements and Disagreements” – Recording
    Speaker: Gordon Marino, Hong Kierkegaard Library, St. Olaf College, Minnesota
    More information here.

    Fall 2021
    “Dare to Rejoice” – Recording
    Speakers: Carson S. Webb, Piedmont University, and Gordon Marino, Hong Kierkegaard Library, St. Olaf College

    Spring 2021
    “Kierkegaard and Luther: What Søren Kierkegaard Lauded, Lanced, Missed, and Misjudged of Martin Luther” – Recording
    Speaker: David Coe, Concordia University, Minnesota

    Fall 2020
    “The Responsibility to Revolt: Søren Kierkegaard and the Politics of Love” – Recording
    Speaker: Jamie Aroosi, New York University, New York

    Spring 2020
    “Kierkegaard’s Critique of Nationalism Reconsidered” – Recording
    Speaker: Thomas J. Millay, Baylor University, Texas

    Fall 2019
    “Kierkegaard on the Transformative Power of Art” – Text
    Speaker: Antony Aumann, Northern Michigan University, Michigan

    Spring 2019
    “What Makes Kierkegaard ‘Biblical’?” – Recording
    Speaker: Carl Hughes, Texas Lutheran University, Texas

    Fall 2018
    “Crashing Into One’s Self: Decisive Encounters with the Wisdom of Kierkegaard & the Value of First Person Responses” – Recording
    Speaker: Jamie Lorentzen, Hong Kierkegaard Library, St. Olaf College, Minnesota

    Spring 2017
    “Kierkegaard and Nature” – Recording
    Speaker: Anthony Rudd, St. Olaf College, Minnesota

    Spring 2016
    “Kierkegaard on Narcissism and Self-Love” – Recording
    Speaker: Sergia Hay, Pacific Lutheran University, Washington

    Fall 2015
    “Kierkegaard and His Reader” – Recording
    Speaker: John Poling, Saint Mary’s University, Minnesota

    Fall 2014
    “Kierkegaard Crumbs: ‘For to be in Existence is Always a Bit Inconvenient’” – Recording
    Speaker: David Cain, University of Mary Washington, Virginia

    Fall 2013
    “Søren Kierkegaard: In the Wake of the Flying Geese” – Recording
    Speaker: Rune Engebretsen, Kierkegaard House Foundation

    Fall 2012
    “Inherited Sin: Kierkegaard on Guilt Against Generations”
    Speaker: Ronald Green, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire

    Fall 2011
    “Kierkegaard and the Subjectivity in Being the Truth”
    Speaker: Poul Lübcke

    Fall 2010
    “Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling: The Poetry of Suffering”
    Speaker: Vanessa Rumble, Boston College, Massachusetts

    Fall 2009
    “Bonhoeffer to His Fiancée: ‘Take a Strong Dose of Kierkegaard!’”
    Speaker: Andrew Burgess, University of New Mexico, New Mexico

    Fall 2008
    “Poetry, History, and Humanity: A Historian Reads Kierkegaard”
    Speaker: Bruce Kirmmse, Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Cøpenhagen

    Fall 2007
    “Kierkegaard: Father of Existentialism or Critic of Existentialism”
    Speaker: Stephan Evans, Baylor University, Texas

    Fall 2006
    “‘With the Help of Ideals—Against Illusions: For Eternity!’ Kierkegaard’s Critique of Christendom”
    Speaker: Robert Perkins, Stetson University, Florida