Sylabus
1. Course introduction (21 February) topics and requirements to the exam introducing the concept of Central Europe 2. Catching up with the West (28 February) democratic transition (1989) and post-communism
European Union accession (2004) and the Europeanization process
Required readings:
Kundera, M. (1984). “The Tragedy of Central Europe.” New York Review of Books 31 (7), Apr 26: 33–38.
Background readings:
Ekiert, G. (2015). “Three Generations of Research on Post Communist Politics: A Sketch.” East European Politics and Societies 29 (2): 323–337.
Gellner, E. 1997. "The Marriage of State and Culture." Pp. 50–58 in Gellner, E. Nationalism. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Kopecký, P., & Mudde, C. (2000). “What has Eastern Europe taught us about the democratisation literature (and vice versa)?” European Journal of Political Research 37 (4): 517–539.
Rupnik, J. (2010). “Central Europe or Mitteleuropa?” Daedalus 119 (1): 249–278.
Sztompka, P. (1996). “Looking Back The Year 1989 as a Cultural and Civilizational Break.” Communist and Post-Communist Studies 29 (2): 115 - 129.
Tismaneanu, V. (2009). “The Revolutions of 1989: Causes, Meanings, Consequences.” Contemporary European History 18 (3): 271–288
Blokker, Paul. (2005). "Post-Communist Modernization, Transition Studies, and Diversity in Europe." European Journal of Social Theory 8 (4): 503–525
Kopeček, Michal. (2002). "Politics, Antipolitics, and Czechs in Central Europe: The Idea of “Visegrád Cooperation” and Its Reflection in Czech Politics in the 1990s." In Questionable Returns, ed. A. Bove, Vienna: IWM Junior Visiting Fellows Conferences, Vol. 12. 3. Political Culture of CE (7 March) main political features of the democracies within the CE region patterns of participation and trust
Required readings:
Howard, M. M. (2002). “The Weakness of Postcommunist Civil Society.” Journal of Democracy 13 (1): 157–169.
Background readings:
Blokker, P. (2008). “Multiple Democracies: Political Cultures and Democratic Variety in Post-enlargement Europe.” Contemporary Politics 14 (2): 161–178.
Guasti, P. (2016). “Development of citizen participation in Central and Eastern Europe after the EU enlargement and economic crises.” Communist and Post-Communist Studies 49 (3): 219–231.
Letki, N. (2004). “Socialization for Participation? Trust, Membership, and Democratization in East-Central Europe.” Political Research Quarterly 57 (4): 665–679.
Rose-Ackerman, S. (2007). “From Elections to Democracy in Central Europe: Public Participation and the Role of Civil Society.” East European Politics and Societies 21 (1): 31–47.
Zakaria, P. (2013). ”Is Corruption an Enemy of Civil Society? The Case of Central and Eastern Europe.” International Political Science Review 34 (4): 351–371. 4. Building a Civil Society (14 March) associational sphere under communist regime challenges of post-communist civil society, foreign funding the case of environmental NGOs in the pre-accession period
Required reading:
Devaux, S. (2009) “Involvement of the Czech Environmental Movements in the European Game.” Pp. 73–87 in Marty, P., S. Devaux. (eds.) Social Movements and Public Action: Lessons from Environmental Issues. Prague: CEFRES.
Background readings:
Börzel, T. A., A. Buzogány. (2010). “Governing EU Accession in Transition Countries: The Role of Non-state Actors.” Acta Politica 45(1–2): 158–182.
Císař, O., & Navrátil, J. (2015). "Promoting competition or cooperation? The impact of EU funding on Czech advocacy organizations". Democratization 22 (3): 536–559.
Diamond, L. (1994). "Toward Democratic Consolidation." Journal of Democracy 5 (3): 4 - 17.
Ekiert, G., J. Kubik. (2014). “The Legacies of 1989: Myths and Realities of Civil Society.” Journal of Democracy 25 (1): 46–58.
Fagan, A. (2005). "Taking stock of civil-society development in post-communist Europe Evidence from the Czech Republic." Democratization 12 (4): 528-547.
Kuti, É. (1999). "Different Eastern European Countries at Different Crossroads." Voluntas 10 (1): 51–60.
Mansfeldová, Z., Nałęcz, S., Priller, E., & Zimmer, A. (2013). "Civil Society in Transition: Civic Engagement and Nonprofit Organizations in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989." In A. Zimmer & E. Priller (Eds.), Future of Civil Society: making Central European nonprofit-organizations work (pp. 99–119).
Skovajsa, M. (2008). "Independent and Broader Civil Society in East-Central European Democratizations." Taiwan Journal of Democracy4(2): 47–73. 5. NGOs and Activism (21 March) current trends in the civic sector: professionalization of NGOs vs. informal activism, networking, anti-Soros sentiments
Required readings:
Polanska, D.V. (2018). “Going against institutionalization: New forms of urban activism in Poland.” Journal of Urban Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2017.1422982
Background readings:
Císař, O., J. Navrátil. (2015). “Promoting Competition or Cooperation? The Impact of EU Funding on Czech Advocacy Organizations.” Democratization 22 (3): 1–40.
Jezierska, K. (2018). Performing Independence: The Apolitical Image of Polish Think Tanks.” Europe - Asia Studies 70 (3): 345–364.
Petrova, T., S. Tarrow. (2007). “Transactional and Participatory Activism in the Emerging European Polity: The Puzzle of East-Central Europe.” Comparative Political Studies 40 (1): 74–94.
Toepler, S., L. M. Salamon. (2003). “NGO Development in Central and Eastern Europe: An Empirical Overview.” East European Quarterly 37 (3): 365–378. 6. Democracy in the EU and the Public Sphere (28 March) democratic deficits of the EU
Europeanization of national public spheres mass mediated political communication the method of political claims analysis
Required reading:
Koopmans, R. (2007).”Who inhabits the European public sphere? Winners and losers, supporters and opponents in Europeanised political debates.” European Journal of Political Research 46 (2): 183–207.
Further readings:
Batorski, D., & Grzywińska, I. (2018). Three dimensions of the public sphere on Facebook Three dimensions of the public sphere on Facebook. Information, Communication & Society, 21(3), 356–374.
Dahlgren, P. (2005). The Internet, Public Spheres, and Political Communication: Dispersion and Deliberation. Political Communication, 22(2), 147–162.
Fraser, N. (1990). Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy. Social Text, 26(25/26), 56–80.
Fras
Anotace
The course focuses on the political features of Central Europe. It introduces students to the concept of CE as a historically and culturally distinctive region (covering Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic) but also encourages critical thinking on whether the changeable concept of Central Europe stays relevant.
The course aims to demonstrate the explanatory capacity of the main concepts of contemporary political sociology, looking at specific cases and current issues from the region. It covers a wide range of topics: civil society (NGOs, think tanks), public sphere and political claims-making, political culture, participation and trust, Europeanization and Euroscepticism, populism, nationalism, and migration.