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, non-linear dynamics of democratization and de-democratization. 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?
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, non-linear dynamics of democratization and de-democratization. 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 conference is organized in preparation for the edited volume “Civil Sphere Theory and Central and Eastern Europe” (eds. Jeffrey C. Alexander, Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky, Susann Worschech) and draws upon research contributions by scholars of the civil sphere in Central and Eastern Europe from both Europe and the United States.
Conference organizers:
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 | ||
| 10.00 – 10.45 | Welcome Coffee & Registration | |
| 10.45 – 11.15 | 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 | ||
| 11.15 – 12.45 | Our Illiberal Periphery: Slovak Democratic Backsliding in the Czech Public Discourse | 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 | |
| 12.45 – 14.00 | Lunch | |
| Panel 2: POLARIZATION, MEMORY, AND POST-TRANSFORMATION | ||
| 14.00 – 15.30 | Transformation without Representation? Collective Identity and the Civil Sphere in Post-Socialist East Germany | Werner Binder, Masaryk University Brno |
| Moral binaries and emotions in post-transformation societies: The case of Lithuania | Monika Verbalyte, European University Flensburg | |
| Valda Budreckaitė, Vilnius University | ||
| 16.00 – 17.30 | The border that connects and divides: Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice as a European microcosm. A sociological city tour | |
| 18.15 – 19.45 |
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 | Dinner | |
| DAY 2: Tuesday, 01.07.2025 | ||
| 9.00 – 9.15 | Viadrina President’s welcome | Prof. Dr Eduard Mühle, President of the European University Viadrina |
| Panel 1: DEMOCRATIC RESILIENCE IN THE CIVIL SPHERE | ||
| 9.15 – 10.45 | Translation of Civil Ideals into Realities within Authoritarian Regimes: How does formal institutionalisation matter? | Murad Nasibov, Justus-Liebig University of Giessen |
| Deliberative Democracy and Democratic Innovations in Post-Transformation Poland: Transforming Civic Spaces | Paulina Pospieszna, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań | |
| 10.45 – 11.15 | Coffee Break | |
| Panel 1 (continued): DEMOCRATIC RESILIENCE IN THE CIVIL SPHERE | ||
| 11.15 – 12.45 | Metamorphoses of Civil Solidarity in Wartime: Ukraine and the Dynamic Civil Sphere | Ruslan Zaporoshchenko, Karazin Kharkiv National University (joined online) |
| Exploring Shifts in European Memory after the 2022 Russian attack on Ukraine | Till Hillmar, University of Vienna (joined online) | |
| 12.45 – 14.00 | Lunch at the Viadrina University Dining Hall (Mensa) | |
| Panel 2: SOCIAL PRACTICES, MEMORY AND EMOTIONS IN THE CIVIL SPHERE | ||
| 14.00 – 15.30 | Surva Winter Carnivals: Including Rurality into the Bulgarian and European Civil Spheres | Ana Velitchkova, University of Mississippi |
| (De-)Constructing Historical Continuity of Post-Soviet Czechoslovakia through Novels | Jan Váňa, Masaryk University Brno | |
| 16.00 – 17.30 |
Panel Discussion: Civil, uncivil, and noncivil spheres in Europe and North America – theoretical perspectives and future tasks Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky (Masaryk University Brno), Giuseppe Sciortino (University of Trento), Peter Kivisto (Augustana College, Illinois), Mykhailo Minakov (European University Viadrina) |
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| 19.00 | Dinner | |
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