Summary of the speech

Fear and anxiety can destroy the ego. In the words of a British soldier: "Mother, I am not cut out for writing, nor for fighting ". In this way an individual presents him/herself un public. This terrorises us and can cause us to make mistakes with murders, wars, and attacks. In modern society we are told not to be afraid to react, but at the same time we are made afraid in several ways.

With respect to the past, we no longer turn to parts of the community or its organizations to console our fears. Behaviour is increasingly individual. I invite you to consider that a dangerous, all-encompassing approach prevails. The concept of universal suffering that is being created is new to history. In the case of women and violence, for example, the true essence of the story is no longer the woman but her trauma. The historian must specify the "who" and the "where", because only these specifics will help us avoid apocalyptic visions.