Twenty Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall: The Politics of Memory and Democratization in Europe

The Advanced Social and Political Research Institute (ASPRI)
at the University of Latvia

in cooperation with

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Baltisch-Deutsches Hochschulkontor

invites you to participate in an

international conference
"Twenty Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall:
The Politics of Memory and Democratization in Europe"

Riga, University of Latvia
September 10-13, 2009

Twenty years after the most important historical event of the late 20th century, the fall of the Berlin wall, new democratic states have emerged in former communist Europe. Many former members of the Eastern Bloc have become full members of the European Union and NATO. One of the most important tasks for the new democracies has been their dealing with the past. In order to consolidate their democracies, they had to treat their communist experiences transparently and according to the principles of the rule of law. However, after two decades of post-communist democratization many questions regarding the politics of memory and transitional justice are still salient, both in domestic political discussions and in international politics. Dealing with authoritarian legacies seems to be a permanent task for the new European democracies, which must be further explored. Comparisons with other countries with lively memory politics, e.g., post-war Germany, still provide an important perspective.

For this reason, the Advanced Social and Political Research Institute at the University of Latvia is organizing an international conference in September 2009 on the politics of memory after the collapse of the Soviet bloc. This conference will be multi-disciplinary, including political science, history, legal studies, sociology and communication studies. Sections will be devoted to the following topics:

• The politics of memory and the future of democracy in Eastern Europe
  
• German experiences and their European relevance
  
• The "new wave" of memory politics: the role of the EU
  
• Transitional justice and legal aspects of the politics of memory
  
• Eastern European historiography and its transformations
  
• The politics of memory in Russia: domestic and international issues
  
• The politics of memory and collective memory: conflict or dialogue?

Languages: English, German, Latvian

Application: short proposals (300-500 words) and registration form should be submitted by April 30, 2009 to conferenceASPRI@lu.lv