Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

SYMPOSIUM: Prophets of Post-Communism:
Toward an Open Society (Retrospect & Prospect)
in conjunction with
VII. WORLD CONGRESS FOR CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN STUDIES
Berlin, Germany, 25 - 30 July 2005

    We invite your participation in a Symposium on: "Prophets of Post-Communism: Toward an Open Society (Retrospect & Prospect)," at the VII. World Congress for Central and East European Studies, Berlin, Germany, 25-30 July 2005.  ICCEES World Congresses are the most important quinquennial international meetings of academic experts, journalists, etc., specializing in Russian and East European Studies, plus China and the communist world. Our panels will review the contributions of major dissident individuals and movements for transcending communism toward a free society, e.g., Milovan Djilas, Mihajlo Mihajlov, Adam Michnik, Milan Kundera, Vaclav Havel, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Charter 77, Solidarnosc, Praxis Group, Hungarian Revolution/Petofi Circle, Harry Wu, Doan Van Toai, Armando Valladares, et al.

    There are 3 major reasons for this Symposium: (1) The memory of the central role of intellectuals/dissidents in the peaceful revolution which toppled communist rule in Russia and East-Central Europe is rapidly fading, while the job of transcending communist dictatorships remains unfinished; (2) In a sense, it was easier to critique totalitarian rule than to forge new institutions, and revive or develop civic culture and civil society; and (3) The third reason for revisiting 1989 is to rekindle the ideals, hopes, and aspirations expressed by the language of universal human rights which served as a common platform for opposing totalitarian rule, while often obscured in the post-communist era by national/ethnic conflict and group rights. In fact, throughout the region, national/ethnic strife threatens to derail the project of an open society. The economic and social hardships of transition are fueling discontent, which, if continued, may bring back the erstwhile communist rule under new guises of nationalism and socialism; witness the growing electoral successes of communist parties in E. Europe.  As to P. R. China, Vietnam, N. Korea, Laos, and Cuba, a curious silence predominates concerning the seamy side of these CP dictatorships.

    Drawing on the interrelationships of history, politics, economics, sociology, social psychology, cultural anthropology, philosophy, languages and literatures, long a more reliable barometer of popular sentiment than official documents, one might address e.g. issues of political participation, interest groups, voter turnout, 1989-2005, and the prospects for individual freedom, pluralism, democracy, and an open society in the region. It should be of great interest and instructive to academics and policy experts in the (post-)communist world, often confused about how to advance the goals of privatization and socio-economic development without backtracking into statism, on the one hand, or anarchy, on the other. The proper role of religious institutions in contributing to the development of civil society is also unclear and underdeveloped in much of the post-communist world (with the exception of Poland), while church-state relations remain conflicted, East and West.  It is also clear by now that neither capitalism nor socialism are a substitute for individual moral responsibility, whether in economics or politics; science, education or the professions; private or public life. Yet, given imperfect human beings, a more humane future presupposes individual liberty and an open society for believers and nonbelievers alike, which ultimately depend on transcendent grounding in a loving and all-merciful Creator-God.

    Participants are expected to relate their discussion to the major concerns and ideas in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, which endeavors to reconnect knowledge with ethics and faith across all disciplines in its thematic volumes since 1989. Fully-developed papers will be considered for publication in JIS XVIII 2006. The focus of our panels at ICCEES VI was civic culture, civil society, prospects for democratization, and the ethical and religious foundations of human rights, pluralism, constitutionalism, institution-building, and the rule of law, in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective. All participants must pre-register with: VII. ICCEES World Congress Secretariat, DGO, Schaperstr. 30, D-10719 Berlin, Germany: www.iccees2005.de Western participants (or their institutions) must pay their own way, while colleagues from EE/Russia/CIS may apply for travel grants to foundations (e.g. Open Society Institute) and/or the ICCEES Secretariat.  ICCEES Newsletter: www.rusin.fi/iccees  Mss. deadline for JIS XVIII 2006: January 1, 2006. Send 3 both-sided copies of: 15-25 page mss. + 150-word Abstract, typed, double-spaced, in-text citation format, author identification on a separate sheet (with postage for mss. return/SASE) to: Dr. O. Gruenwald, JIS Editor, IIR, 1065 Pine Bluff Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107, USA. Website: www.JIS3.org 

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