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Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, head of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, in the Paulskirche: Amartya Sen was involved in the award ceremony from the USA
Photo: Arne Dedert / dpa
The Indian economist Amartya Sen has been honored with the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
Sen has "as a thought leader for decades dealt with questions of global justice", it says in the foundation council's statement.
His work contributes to the fight against social inequality and is more relevant today than ever before.
The scientist and philosopher, who lives in the USA, could not come personally to the Paulskirche in Frankfurt on Sunday because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 86-year-old was hooked up from Boston - for him, the award ceremony took place very early in the morning.
The participation of the laudator, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was canceled at short notice at the weekend.
After the positive corona test by a bodyguard, the head of state is still in quarantine.
His laudation was read by the actor Burghart Klaußner in an almost empty Paulskirche.
The audience had also been discharged because of Corona.
"Sen writes against the inequalities and injustices of this world. His Human Development Index not only looks at the gross domestic product, he looks at the well-being of the people," said Steinmeier's speech.
"Who would have deserved this award more than someone whose work, for all its intellectual brilliance, distinguishes one thing above all else: humanity."
And: In his fight for justice, he is always concerned with democracy.
"Today there is hardly anything more urgent in society than global resistance to increasing authoritarianism all over the world"
Amartya Sen
Sen was born in Shantiniketan (West Bengal) in 1933, studied economics in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and England, and has been a professor at Harvard since 2004.
In 1998 he received the Nobel Prize in Economics.
In his acceptance speech, he spoke out against autocracy, disadvantage and injustice, which he observed in India but also in his adopted home, the USA, and in many other countries.
"Today there is hardly anything more urgent in society than global resistance to increasing authoritarianism all over the world."
The Frankfurt-based Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels has been awarding the Peace Prize for 70 years.
The award is endowed with 25,000 euros.
It honors personalities who have contributed to the realization of the idea of peace in literature, science or art.
In 2019, the award went to the Brazilian photographer and environmentalist Sebastião Salgado.
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sen / dpa