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Launch of the book Selective Empathy: The West through the Gaze of Gaza
Presenter: Dr Roberto De Vogli, Assistant Professor, University of Padua
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation
Discussant: Dr Zahira Jaser, Assistant Professor in Organisational Behaviour, University of Sussex Business School
Department of Management
Time and place:
Tuesday 10 February, 5 to 6 pm
University of Sussex Business School, room G35
Or watch online, Zoom link: https://universityofsussex.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q5qTNaNoQieexTLyCuPO_w
Dr Roberto De Vogli will present his latest book, Selective Empathy: The West through the Gaze of Gaza. The book examines what the author describes as one of the most significant moral crises of our time, the genocide in Gaza.
Drawing on political analysis and psychological insight, the book explores how Western societies distribute compassion unevenly, extending empathy to some groups while denying it to others. Through testimonies, critical reflection, and analysis of political and media discourse, De Vogli argues that Gaza has become a mirror for the West and a test of its moral credibility.
The book challenges dominant narratives and calls for a renewed form of global solidarity grounded in universal empathy, justice, and what the author terms emotional decolonisation.
Speaker biography
Dr Roberto De Vogli is an Associate Professor in Global Health and Psychology of Power at the University of Padova and a Visiting Professor at the School of Advanced Studies, University of London.
He has published extensively in leading peer-reviewed journals including Nature, The Lancet and the British Medical Journal, and is the author of two previous books. In 2025 he will publish two new books: Selective Empathy: The West Through the Gaze of Gaza (Brill, Critical Social Studies and Haymarket, Books for Changing the World) and Wellbeing and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Edward Elgar).
Discussant biography
Dr Zahira Jaser is an Italian-Palestinian academic based at the University of Sussex Business School. Her research focuses on leadership, power dynamics, and the role of technology in manager-worker relationships, with particular attention to issues of voice and silence.
She is committed to promoting ethical, sustainable, and socially just business practices. Her work has been featured in Science, the Financial Times, and leading academic journals including Journal of Management Studies, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Organization Studies, Organization Theory, and Leadership.
Her recent work focuses on shaping dialogue around anti-Palestinian racism in academic and wider societal contexts.