Introduction
In very much the same spirit in which the New School had created
a University in Exile in the early 1930s, where scholars
fleeing Hitler's Europe could pursue their work, in early 1990
the Graduate Faculty, direct descendant of that same safe haven,
launched its East and Central Europe Program (ECEP). The
initial goal was to assist scholars who were trying to free the
social sciences in their respective post-Communist countries from
the constraints so long imposed by ideology and isolation.ECEP
built upon the efforts of Graduate Faculty members in the 1980s
- sometimes working semi- clandestinely - to help support scholars
and intellectuals in Poland and Hungary who were already trying
to address some of the anticipated problems of democratization.
Expanding on those original ties, ECEP has evolved into a trusted
partner throughout the region in efforts to revitalize scholarly
life in the social sciences.Our longstanding awareness of the
region's intellectual capital, the dynamic and multi-faceted situation
of academia in the post-Communist countries, and the constant
feedback from our long-time colleagues there, compelled us - early
on in the process - to re-think traditional approaches to academic
assistance and support. In the course of our collaborations we
have learned that the building of a viable system of education
and research in the social sciences and the strengthening of democratic
discourse are mutually supportive in each country.We are fortunate
to have at the Graduate Faculty (GF) a core group of faculty members
participating in ECEP who are interested not only in the region
itself but in the broader issues of civil society and democracy.
With their help, and in collaboration with our counterparts in
the region, we have been able to conduct projects that further
the East and Central Europe Program's original goals. As new challenges
arise - both in Europe and in America - and as our circle of collaborators
and friends widens (now in 23 countries of the region), our mix
of endeavors continually evolves...
Below is a list of all our past and present projects:
Projects
assisting in building new curricula in the social sciences and
creating a common teaching and learning environment for both faculty
and graduate students are:
- Curriculum Visits to the New School
for Social Research
- Curriculum Centers in the region
- Collaborative Courses in the region
- Democracy & Diversity Summer
Graduate Institute in Cracow, Poland
- G-Tech Visiting Professorships at the GF's Committee
for the Study of Democracy
- Junior Teaching Initiatives
- Media, Politics and Policy electronic
workshop series for junior faculty (1996 - 1997)
- Democratic Politics and Policy electronic
workshop series for junior faculty (1995 - 96)
- Electronic Resource Research Handbook
- Explorations in Political Science:
Intensive Institute for Russian Political Science Faculty at the
GF
(Fall 1996)
Projects
initiating and supporting joint research projects and encouraging
young scholars to stay in the academic community by engaging them
in international collaborative projects are:
- Substantive Working Groups
- Democracy Fellowships at the GF
- Committee for the Study of Democracy
- Provision of scholarly materials
- Media, Politics and Policy electronic
workshop series for junior faculty (1996 - 1997)
- Democratic Politics and Policy electronic workshop
series
Projects
cultivating a multifaceted forum (conferences, lecture series,
publications) for on-going discussion of the ideas of democratization
and for a broader exchange of ideas between American and East
European scholars are:
- International Democracy Seminar Network
- Lecture Series
- ECEP Quarterly Bulletin
- Democracy Seminar Book: Grappling
with Democracy: Deliberations on Post-Communist Societies (1990-1995)
Projects
providing support for new democratic institutions and initiatives
in the region by involving the rising generation of educators,
leaders and future policy experts in economic and public policy
study programs are:
- Workshop on Public Policy held
at the Democracy & Diversity summer graduate institute
in Cracow, Poland
- Policy as Democracy Workbook
- Junior Faculty Fellowships at the
GF (in the field of policy analysis)
- Democratic Politics and Policy electronic workshop
series
International
Steering Committee
Jonathan Fanton, Historian, President of the New School
for Social Research (NSSR)
Judith Friedlander, Anthropologist, Dean, The Graduate
Faculty (GF), NSSR
Elzbieta Matynia, Sociologist, Director, ECEP, NSSR
Andrew Arato, Sociologist, The Graduate Faculty, NSSR
Martin Butora, Sociologist, Trnava University, Slovakia
Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sociologist, The Graduate Faculty, NSSR
Ira Katznelson, Political Scientist, Columbia University
Rumyana Kolarova, Political Scientist, Sofia University,
Bulgaria
Andras Kovas, Political Scientist, Eotvos Lorand University
Marcin Krol, Political Philosopher, Warsaw University,
Poland
Arien Mack, Psychologist, The Graduate Faculty, NSSR
Iveta Radicova, Sociologist, Academia Istopolitana, Slovakia
Jerzy Szacki, Sociologist, Warsaw University, Poland
Ivan Vejvoda, Social Historian, Center for European Studies,
Belgrade
Aristide Zolberg, Political Scientist, The Graduate Faculty,
NSSR
Special
Advisors to ECEP
Janos Kis, Hungary
Sonja Licht, Yugoslavia
Adam Michnik, Poland
Galina Starovoitova, Russia
Jan Urban, Czech Republic
Partners
and Collaborators Armenia American University of Armenia; Yerevan State University
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan State Institute of Economics
Bulgaria New Bulgarian University;
Sofia University;
Free University in Burgas
Croatia University of Zagreb
Czech Republic Charles University; Higher School of Economics;
Masaryk University; Parubiec University; Plzen University
Estonia Tallinn Pedagogical University; Tartu University
Hungary Eötvös Loránd University;
Central European University; Budapest University of Economics
Kazakhstan Kazakh State National University;
Almaty State University
Kyrgyzstan Bishkek University of the Humanities
Lithuania Vilnius University
Poland Graduate School for Social Research;
Jagiellonian University;
University of Wroclaw
Romania University of Bucharest; Babes Bolyai University in Cluj
Russia Samara State University;
Moscow State University
Slovakia Comenius University; Trnava University; Academia Istropolitana
Slovenia University of Ljubljana
Ukraine Kiev Mohlya Academy; Lviv State University
Yugoslavia Belgrade University Institute for European Studies
At Other Foreign Universities (outside of the region)
Israel Hebrew University, Jerusalem
South Africa University of Durban-Westville;
University of Witwatersrand