Anniversary conference in 2009

Before and after 1989

Trans-national and comparative perspectives on history, contemporary change and the future in Eastern and Western Europe

Conceptual sketch for a conference that presents fresh perspectives and research by junior faculty, post-docs and early stage researchers
Spring 2009

The scholarly imagination ‘enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals’
Adapted from C.W. Mills

A variety of international, regional and national associations regularly host conferences that are dedicated to analysing the contemporary affairs of central and eastern Europe, of Europe as a whole and of Eurasia (e.g. ICCEES, ICCEES Europe, Aleksanteri, Warsaw EEC, UACES (EU), CES (US), BASEES), not to mention the large variety of European and international conferences on which these topics feature regularly. Merely hosting another international conference in the standard academic format, even if it were dedicated specifically to exploring the causes and consequences of 1989, would add very little.

However, if we were to organise a conference that would showcase and promote the efforts of a new generation of researchers, then the gains might be considerable, particularly in terms of promoting an ongoing engagement with 1989 as a topic of scholarly research and public debate in a generation that has some experience of the period before 1989 but grew into adulthood after 1989. Conversely, this new generation of research has fresh perspective on the meaning and significance on 1989 that are not coloured inevitably by the Cold War.

For the showcase to be meaningful, the conference would require substantial preparation through a programme committee as well as careful selection of the participants (about 60 overall). Full participation as panellists would need to be restricted to those that have already obtained a PhD, while those still undertaking doctoral research could present their ongoing efforts in the form of a poster. The reason why a distinction between doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers must be drawn lies in the way in which the PhD has become an additional educational qualification that is obtained by 70,000 students in Europe alone and by many more in the world at large. Nowadays only a small minority of PhDs continue as active researchers, be it in the academy or outside. Furthermore, given the very stiff competition for research funds, any effort to showcase the work of younger researchers would need to be highly selective to be meaningful. We therefore propose that only 40 panellists and 20 poster presenters be selected.

In proposing to organise a public conference in 2009, based on an open and competitive call, the Research Network 1989 has two aims:

1. To showcase the best new work of the post-1989 generation on 1989 itself, especially insofar as it enlarges our horizon by offering a comparative perspective, analysing regional interdependencies and tracing trans-national impact;
2. To garner continued public and academic attention beyond 2009 by selecting and promoting new research programmes that principally would be worthy of post-doc mobility stipends or principal investigator awards. In doing so, we suggest to feature panels on the trajectory and careers of actors as the preferred means of tracing change and continuity across the rupture of 1989.

Why do we prefer a trans-national and comparative approach? The elaboration of hypotheses and the development of knowledge on 1989 often has been stifled inadvertently by a focus on the national case or the pre-emptive limitation of the investigation to the region. 1989, however, was a trans-national event of world-historical significance that had a global impact. Intrinsically, therefore, this calls for research designs acknowledging that the before and after of 1989 can only be meaningfully understood in this wider context. A challenge for the social sciences and historiography may be that these new research designs require collaborative efforts and must be carried out in teams – rather than individually. However, the new type of principal investigator award for younger researchers, as launched by the European Science Foundation and the European Research Council (as well as national research councils, often encouraging bi- or multi-national collaboration) enables this shift to collaborative research.

Why do we suggest to feature panels that focus on the trajectory and career of actors? 1989 signifies a rupture, particularly in central and eastern Europe and Eurasia, but not only. Consequently, the social structures and cultural systems were impacted by this rupture. However, since the events of 1989 were largely peaceful, the actors continued but had to adapt and adjust to the changing circumstances – worldwide. Therefore we expect that a focus on actors will be particularly apt for tracing the impact of 1989.

Organisers

Research Network 1989 (www.cee-socialscience.net/1989/)
Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI), Sciences Po de Paris (www.ceri-sciences-po.org/)
Graduate School for Social Research (GSSR), Polish Academy of Science (www.css.edu.pl/)

last modified: 2008-02-06