Conference: The civil sphere in Central and Eastern Europe

 

The transformations that followed 1989/91 in Central and Eastern Europe have given rise to new politico-social constellations – marked by evolving patterns of solidarity and trust, societal cleavages, and ambivalent, nonlinear dynamics of democratisation and de-democratisation. These developments differ significantly in their origins and forms from those observed in Western democracies and other global regions.

How have these civic and social dynamics been shaped by the legacies of socialism and communism, as well as by the transition and post-transition processes? How are they reflected in the current political and societal realities of the region? And what implications do they hold for Europe and the broader geopolitical landscape?

Conference panels present case studies from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, and from the transitioning regions of post-socialist East Germany (further details in the programme).  

A highlight of the event is the public keynote lecture by leading civil sphere sociologist Jeffrey C. Alexander (Yale University), titled ‘Can Civil Peace Extend beyond the Nation State? Europe, NATO, and the U.S. in the Shadow of the Russia-Ukraine War’.  

The paper workshop conference is organised in preparation for the edited volume ‘Civil Sphere Theory and Central and Eastern Europe’ (eds. Jeffrey C. Alexander, Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky, Susann Worschech). It draws upon research contributions by scholars of the civil sphere in Central and Eastern Europe from both Europe and the United States.  

 

Conference organisers:

Prof. Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky, Masaryk University Brno

Dr. Susann Worschech, European University Viadrina   

Participation in the conference or selected sessions is welcome. Please register at: civilsphere@europa-uni.de  

 

Location: Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)

Dates: 30.06. – 01.07.2025

Language: English

Contact: civilsphere@europa-uni.de

 

PROGRAMME

DAY 1: Monday, 30.06.2025
9.30 – 10.00   HG 104	Welcome Coffee & Registration
10.00 – 10.30 HG 104	Welcoming Participants and Opening Remarks	Jeffrey C. Alexander, Yale University
		Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky, Masaryk University Brno
		Susann Worschech, European University Viadrina
Panel 1: POLARIZATION AND DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING IN THE CIVIL SPHERE
10.30 – 12.00 HG 104	From Civil Brothers to Uncivil Others. Civility and Orientalism in Czech Perception of Slovak Political Crisis	Dominik Zelinsky, Slovak Academy of Sciences
	The Polluting Colony: The Uses of Postcolonial Argument in Present-Day Serbia	Ivana Spasić & Milica Resanović, University of Belgrade
12.30 – 13.30	Lunch at the Canteen of Collegium Polonicum (PL)
13.30 – 15.30	The border that connects and divides: Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice as a European microcosm. A historical-sociological city tour Prof. Dr. Werner Benecke (European University Viadrina)
15.30 – 16.15	Coffee
Panel 2: POLARIZATION, MEMORY,  AND POST-TRANSFORMATION
16.15 – 17.45 HG 104	Transformation and its Discontents: Civil Sphere, Incorporation and Collective Identity in Post-Socialist East Germany	Werner Binder, Masaryk University Brno
	Polarisation, Moral Binaries and Emotions in Post-transformation Societies: The Case of Lithuania	Monika Verbalyte, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
18.15 – 19.45 Senatssaal (HG 109)	Can Civil Peace Extend beyond the Nation State? Europe, NATO, and the U.S. in the Shadow of the Russia-Ukraine War   Public Keynote Lecture by Jeffrey Alexander
20.00 Foyer HG 109	Reception