Lea Ypi

Lea Ypi, a professor of political theory, reflects on her childhood in communist Albania, where she navigated a state-imposed narrative of national superiority despite systemic scarcity and isolation. The collapse of the regime revealed her family’s hidden history of political persecution and collaboration, shattering her childhood perceptions and forcing a reconciliation between personal identity and state-sanctioned truth. This transition, marked by the economic volatility of the 1990s, prompted her to turn to philosophy as a tool for critical inquiry. Through a selection of music ranging from Bach to Wagner, she explores the tension between reason and dogma, the subversive power of irony, and the necessity of maintaining moral integrity under oppressive systems. Her journey illustrates the struggle to find meaning and agency amidst the unpredictable ruptures of history and the ongoing search for solidarity in a globalized world.