Populism in East Central Europe: a Legacy From State Socialism?

public lecture by Prof. Dieter Segert (University of Vienna), followed by a discussion with the participation of d-r Rumiana Kolarova /Sofia University/ and Prof. Anna Krasteva (New Bulgarian University)

Moderator: Prof. Anna Krasteva (New Bulgarian University)

More information about the event:
Populist politics has recently emerged as a strong force in East Central Europe. Since the system change in 1989 distrust in institutions especially in parties and parliaments has reinforced itself. A tendency to personalize politics has provided favourable conditions for political populism in these countries. There are signs of these tendencies in other East Europeans societies as well. The reasons of this phenomena are disputed: is that a result of political trends in a globalised world, of general emergence of media democracy, or a legacy of state socialism? The lecture tries to verify or to falsify mainly the last thesis.

More information about the lecturer:
Prof. Dieter Segert (b.1952 in Salzwedel (GDR) has studied Philosophy in Berlin (Humboldt University) and in Moscow (Lomonossow University). Since 1978 he has been an assistant professor and later he became professor at Humboldt University Berlin. In the fall – winter period of 1989/90 he was one of the activists of a rank and file movement within the state party SED. He is a co-founder of the academic discipline political science in GDR
(1989-1990), a professor for Comparative Political Science at Humboldt University (1993-1998), a guest professor at Charles University Prague (1998-2001) and employee of the German Agency for Civic Education (2002-2005). Since February 2005 he has become a professor for Political Science at the Social Science Faculty of the University of Vienna. The scope of his research interests encompasses European developments in the East-West context; democratization in the Balkans; post-Socialism (heritage of European socialisms) and party politics.

Selected publications:
- Bos, Ellen & Segert, Dieter (eds.): Osteuropaische Demokratien als Trendsetter? Parteien und Parteiensysteme nach dem Ende des Ubergangsjahrzehnts. Barbara Budrich Publ. 2008. (East European Democracy as an early Model? Parties and Party Systems after the Transition Decade) (forthcoming)
- Prager Fruhling. Gesprache uber eine europaische Erfahrung. Wien: Braumuller 2008. (Prague Spring. Conversations on a European Experience.) (forthcoming)
- Postsozialismus. Hinterlassenschaften des Staatssozialismus und neue Kapitalismen in Europa. Braumuller Verlag Wien 2007. (Editor and author)
(Post-Socialism. Legacies of State Socialism and new Varieties of Capitalism)
- Die Grenzen Osteuropas. 1918, 1945, 1989 - drei Versuche, im Westen anzukommen. Frankfurt/New York: Campus Verlag 2002, 339 Seiten. (Author)
(The Limitations of Eastern Europe. 1918, 1945, 1989 – Three Attempts to Catch on the West)
- Systemwechsel 2. Die Institutionalisierung der Demokratie. Opladen: Leske & Budrich, 1996. 437 S. (Co-editor with Wolfgang Merkel and Eberhard Sandschneider, Co-author)
(Systemic Change 2. The Institutionalization of Democracy)
- Le nouveau Parti de gauche en Allemagne: une gauche si extreme? In: Radioscopies de l?allemagne. Sous la direction de Claire Demesmay et Hans Stark. Paris : Ifri 2007, S. 123-140. (The New Left Party in Germany: An Extreme Leftist Party?)
- Zur Lage des rechten Extremismus in Osteuropa und den Bedingungen seines zukunftigen Erfolges. Ein Uberblick. In: Michael Minkenberg u.a. (Hg.): Radikale Rechte und Fremdenfeindlichkeit in Deutschland und Polen. Nationale und europaische Perspektiven. Bonn: Informationszentrum Sozialwissenschaften, 2006, S. 60-73.
(The Situation of Right Extremists in Eastern Europe and the Conditions of its Future Successes: An Overview)

Address of the lecturer:
Prof. Dieter Segert
University of Vienna
Institute for Political Science
Universitaetsstr.7
A-1010 Vienna
Austria
dieter.segert@univie.ac.at

Part of the lecture series “The Crisis in Central Europe”, a joint project of the Red House Centre for Culture and Debate and Open Society Institute – Sofia and Department “Political Sciences” at NBU.

July 14 (Monday) 2008, 7.00 p.m.
Red hall
In English, with interpretation into Bulgarian.
Tickets: 2/1 BGN



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