Dr. Patricia Hill Collins Awarded Berggruen Prize at Ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Renowned sociologist Dr. Patricia Hill Collins was awarded the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture during a special ceremony at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C. on June 6.

The Berggruen Prize Jury selected Dr. Patricia Hill Collins for her groundbreaking work on Black feminist thought and for developing the concept and analytical framework of intersectionality. They especially recognized how her work “provides a powerful analytical lens through which we can envision the different and intersecting ways in which our material, social, and cultural worlds produce injustice and mutilate human possibilities. In addition, her work has given us “original vocabulary with which to think about social power and contestation. The historic venue underscored the importance of Dr. Collins’ contributions to American intellectual and public life and her role in elevating Black feminist perspectives in academia and beyond.

Nicolas Berggruen, Chairman of the Berggruen Institute, and President Dawn Nakagawa, welcomed members of the Berggruen Institute Board of Directors, Berggruen Prize Jury, Institute colleagues, and many of Dr. Collins’ family, friends, and peers in the audience. Berggruen Prize Jurors Siri Hustvedt and David Chalmers along with Denise Robinson Simms, NMAAHC’s Associate Director of External Affairs, offered special congratulatory remarks highlighting Dr. Collins’ profound influence on them individually and on contemporary society and thought more broadly.

The evening was anchored by a thoughtful and dynamic conversation between Dr. Collins and Emmy-winning journalist Michel Martin, host of NPR’s Morning Edition. Their conversation focused on Dr. Collins’ career and scholarship, including interlocking systems of power and oppression, knowledge production, intersectional violence, the longevity and impact of ideas, her original career aspirations, and what gives her hope today. At the end of the evening, Dr. Collins was presented with the Berggruen Prize trophy designed by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang.