Towards a deepening East-West Division of Europe? Interests, Identity and Memory in Times of Crisis
Paneldiscussion in the context of the HIAS Summer School, in English language
19 July 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
Venue: Europa-Kolleg, Windmühlenweg 27, Hamburg Groß-Flottbek
The Russian attack on Ukraine has brought greater public attention to a
phenomenon that has shaped current political realities in Europe for some time: the creeping alienation between Western European countries and those in Central Eastern Europe. It is becoming increasingly clear how the experience and collective memory of Soviet rule in particular continue to shape current political attitudes and priorities: First, these countries show an affinity for a form of ‘popular’ nationalism that differs markedly from the liberal-cosmopolitan Western European tradition. Competing conceptions of (liberal) democracy have led to irritations regarding authoritarian tendencies, especially in Hungary and Poland. On the other hand, the deepening of the gap between East and West also affects international relations and the geopolitical reality of the continent. With the war in Ukraine, the memory of the Soviet occupation has regained importance for national identities, interests, and politics in Europe.
Building on this, the event turns to the following questions: How deep is the political rift between Eastern and Western Europe? On what cultural or political foundations could a common project be built that could provide stability to fragile democracies across Europe and offer a common direction for an EU foreign policy agenda?
- 9:30 Opening
Prof. Dr. Markus Kotzur, Director of Europa Kolleg Hamburg, and Universität Hamburg, Law Faculty
Dr. Dorothea Rüland, Secretary-General of HIAS - 9:40 Introductory input
Janusz Reiter, Poland Ambassador to Germany 1990-1995 and to the United States 2005-2007 - 10:10–11:30 Panel discussion Moderated by Prof. Dr. Oliver Schmidtke, University of Victoria/ CA,
Departments of Political Science & History Panelists:
-Dr. Regina Heller, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy,
Hamburg
-Prof. Dr. Markus Kotzur, Universität Hamburg, Law Faculty, and Director of Europa Kolleg Hamburg
-Dr. Katja Makhotina, University of Bonn, Historical Seminar
-Janusz Reiter, Polish Diplomat and Publicist, former Ambassador - 11:30 Coffee break
- 12h-13h Short inputs by the HIAS summer school participants and discussion
- 13h Lunch buffet
In Zusammenarbeit mit
