Central Europe on the Threshold of the 21st Century. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Challenges in Politics and Society

With the events of the years 1989/90 Central Europe symbolically returned as a region to the map of Europe. Former communist states began a deep, long and hard process of political, economical and social transformation. Although many similarities can be observed, each country has gone its own way of change. The communist past “united” Central European countries with the common fate.

The main aim of the conference is to deal with actual issues and their specific formation in Central Europe. The main focus will be set on social perspectives, coping with the transformation process and relations between the state and society. The most important question to be answered is what mechanisms are developed to overcome crises and threats and how they influence the democratic process? Is a strong democracy well established or do totalitarian power mechanisms develop again? Another important objective of the conference is the consideration of the reaction of Central European countries to the existence of national state in conditions of globalization and internationalisation. What influence do migrations and cultural exchange have on national and transnational formation of societies?

The conference will also focus on the perception of general problems on European and worldwide scale and the influence of the totalitarian past and development deficits on them. Do those countries develop their own specific civil society models which have relevance for the whole Europe and give the impulses for the European civilisation process? Moreover the aim of the conference is to work out trends and to make clear whether the reconstruction of traditional constellation of the east-west dualism in the sense of significant cultural differences or regional development pace appears possible and can become one of the possibilities in the process of European unification.

The year 2012 is a good moment to research on the recent developments in the region and to have a look on its role in the European Union. Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland will have had the opportunity to hold the EU Presidency in last years.

The following panels will be created:

1. Identity Issues or Geopolitical Questions – what is Central Europe and which countries or regions belong to it? Is Central Europe a “community” of post-communist states or a geographical region uniting wider number of states including Germany and Austria?

2. Sustainability of the National Concept – what is the position of patriotism and nationalism in Central European countries. How is it influenced by the process of European Unification – will it be strengthened or denationalized? Is it a chance for national and ethnical minorities to cultivate their distinctiveness?

3. Political System and Economic Basics – have Central European states developed functional and democratic political systems according to western patterns, or have they formed their own political systems with their peculiarities different from western democracies? Is the model of capitalism working in Central European Countries? Did market economy bring the expected progress and modernization? Are the economies resistant to world crises or economic processes like for example growing oil prices?

4. The Rule of Law and Threats – are Central European countries well-functioning and efficient states of law, which are ready and able to take up new challenges including security issues, terrorism, or financial crises? What is the influence of the state on democracy?

5. Central European States as Actors in International Relations – have Central European states managed to develop their own, independent foreign policies and to gain a strong position as equal partners for their neighbours and other states?

6. Central Europe in the European Union – what is the role of the new member states in the European Union? Have they managed to settle in the European Community among the richer and stronger countries of the “old Europe” and to bring their own ideas to European debates?

7. The Place of Visegrad Group after Joining the European Union – what are the new exercises and challenges for the group after fulfilling its major task. Can the Visegrad Group be an important instrument for the new EU-members in the expanded Europe?

8. Central European Civil Societies – is the process of building a civil society in post-communist countries already finished or is it still on going? Does it develop in Western European direction or according to another specific model?

9. Cities and Local Politics – what is the role and position of local and regional governments and communities in Central European states. Do Central European cities have chances to become metropolis on a European scale?

10. Cultural and Religious Relations – what is the role of culture in young post-communist democracies and in the dynamic expansion of consumption societies? What is the position of religion and churches in changed societies?

11. Migration, Communication and Cultural Transfer – how do work migrations or admission of political refugees influence the social debate? How do the societies deal with such phenomena and transfer processes connected with them? How do the society and the state communicate about the alternatives of opening or isolation?

The working language is English – presentations and papers for the book have to be prepared in English.

More Information:
http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/index.asp?pn=termine&id=17027
http://www.wpism.umk.pl/