The Fourteenth South-East European Summer School for Democracy
entitled "EU Perspective of the Western Balkans: Challenges and Opportunities"
to be held in Belgrade, Serbia from 19th till 23rd September 2011
The School is organized by the Hellenic Observatory and LSEE (LSE
Research on South East Europe) of the London School of Economics and
Political Science and the Anglo-Serbian Society, Belgrade. The
Co-Directors of the School are: Prof. Vukasin Pavlovic, Faculty of
Political Science, Belgrade and Dr. Spyros Economides, Hellenic
Observatory/LSEE, LSE, London. The School's Council is composed of two
co-directors and additional five members: Prof. Margaret Blunden,
former Provost of the University of Westminster, Prof. Vojislav
Stanovcic, member of the Serbian Academy, Prof. Christopher Coker,
London School of Economics, Prof. Kevin Featherstone, Hellenic
Observatory/LSE and Prof. Slobodan G. Markovich, Executive Director of
the Summer School.
The School was established in 1998 and was originally organised by the
Faculty of Political Science of the University of Belgrade and the
University of Westminster. This annual summer school has been held
since 1998. The School was originally called The Yugoslav-British
Summer School for Democracy, but was later re-named The International
Summer School for Democracy. Due to the repressive Bill on Education
enacted during the reign of former Yugoslav dictator Slobodan
Milosevic, the School was placed under organisational control of the
Anglo-Yugoslav Society and the Centre for the Study of Democracy, who
directed it from 1999. The AYS and the CSD co-organised the Summer
School till 2007. In 2004 the Anglo-Yugoslav Society changed its name
to the Anglo-Serbian Society. Since 2005 scholars from LSE have
lectured at the School and since 2008 the School has been co-organised
by the Hellenic Observatory (and later with LSEE as well) of the
London School of Economics and the Anglo-Serbian Society under a new
name and a modified format.
The 1998 course was: DEMOCRACY AND SOCIAL CHANGE,
The 1999 course was: MODERNITY AND THE STATE – EAST, WEST
(CIVIL SOCIETY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE),
The 2000 course was: THE DEMOCRATIC RECONSTRUCTION OF SOUTH-
EASTERN EUROPE,
The 2001 course was: GOOD GOVERNANCE – GLOBALISM AND LOCALISM,
The 2002 course was: CONSOLIDATION OF NEW DEMOCRACIES
The 2003 course was: DEMOCRACY, GLOBALISATION AND SECURITY
The 2004 course was: GLOBALISATION, THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE WESTERN BALKANS
The 2005 course was: CULTURAL IDENTITIES AND DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE AND
IN THE BALKANS
The 2006 was: NATIONALISM AND DEMOCRACY
The 2007 course was: TRANSITION, ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY
The 2008 course was: EUROATLANTIC INTEGRATIONS AND DEMOCRACY IN THE BALKANS
The 2009 course was: GLOBAL IMPACT ON STABILITY AND SECURITY IN THE BALKANS
The 2010 course was: ENLARGEMENT FATIGUE AND EU PROSPCETS OF THE WESTERN BALKANS
The 2011 course is: EU Perspective of the Western Balkans: Challenges
and Opportunities
The Mission of the School
– To improve junior faculty skills in modern democratic theory and
European studies;
– To create networks of young scholars, political and NGO activists in
SEE dealing with democratic theory and European studies;
– To analyse conditions and possibilities for democratic social
changes, especially in so-called transition societies;
– To develop and promote academic exchange between Western
universities, Serbia and SEE countries.
– To improve regional academic co-operation and to overcome mutual
stereotypes and preconceptions.
The main target group of participants are junior faculty, young
political and NGO activists. There will be up to 30 participants
altogether. Fifteen participants are to be selected from Serbia and an
equal number will come from elsewhere in the region of South-Eastern
Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hellenic
Republic, (F.Y.R.) Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Slovenia).
Participants should have at the very least a BA degree, and preferably
an MA degree in the social sciences or humanities. All other nationals
are welcome to apply but the organisers can contribute only partially
to their transportation costs. All accommodation costs and all
transportation costs within the region of SEE for selected
participants are covered by the Summer School through donations. The
course lecturers (resource persons) are professors and associates from
the Hellenic Observatory/LSEE of the London School of Economics, from
the University of Westminster, the University of Belgrade and
occasionally professors from other SEE countries, Western Europe, and
the United States.
Objectives
1. The strengthening of existing networks from previous schools and
the creation of new networks of critically oriented, open-minded
individuals from the field of social sciences endeavoring to
contribute to the process of democratization and European integration
in SEE both theoretically and practically.
2. Dissemination of democratic theory among young political leaders,
junior scholars and NGO activists in the region of SEE, thus
facilitating the consolidation of democracies in the region.
3. Promotion of Euro-Atlantic integration.
The School was initiated during the authoritarian rule of Slobodan
Milosevic, and has always endeavoured to foster regional co-operation
and keep Serbian and SEE political and NGO activists and young
scholars open to experiences and practices of Euro-Atlantic community.
It was established at a time when Serbia faced xenophobia and ethnic
hatred and this was an effort to overcome such attitudes. In the
meantime the School has been developed into an active promoter of
democratic values and tolerance in the region of SEE and it has become
a regional Balkan School open to participants from other European
countries as well.
The School lasts one week and is organized in Belgrade from September
5, till September 11.
Lecturers
– Prof. Margaret Blunden, Formerly Provost at the University
of Westminster
– Prof. Christopher Coker, London School for Economics and
Political Science
– Dr. Spyros Economides, Hellenic Observatory, LSEE, LSE
– Dr. James Ker Lindsay, LSEE, LSE
– Dr William Bartlett, LSEE, LSE
– Prof. Slobodan G. Markovich, Faculty of Political Science, Belgrade
– Prof. Vukasin Pavlovic, Vice-Dean at the Faculty of
Political Science, Belgrade
– Ms. Sonja Licht, President of the Belgrade Fund for
Political Excellence
– Dr. Eric Beckett Weaver, University of Debrecen
Format
There will be three morning lectures every day from 10.00 till 13.30
with a lunch break till 15.00. In the afternoon times Afternoon
Workshops will be held from 15.00 till 17.00. All lectures are
divided in half-an-hour to 45-minute introductions to the topic and
the remaining time is dedicated to debates and questions for the
lecturers. Afternoon Workshops: All the selected participants are
expected to prepare either a short presentation (15 minutes long) or
an essay (3-5 pages) dealing with one of the following topics:
– How do EU prospects or lack of such prospects affect
democratization and transformation of my native country (for nationals
coming from the Western Balkans only)
– European perspective as a tool for stabilization of
aspirant and candidate countries
– How could enlargement fatigue affect the region economically
Presentations and essays can be either descriptive or analytical
depending on preferences. For presentations all technical equipment
is available including: power point presentations, over-head projector
and flip charts. The organizers will attempt to publish those essays
that can be upgraded to good-quality papers in the South-Slav Journal.
The Summer School will be held in a centrally located hotel in
Belgrade (accommodation is in double rooms) in the very heart of
Belgrade, Serbia, based on half-board. There are lunches for all
participants organised in down town restaurants. The organisers will
cover adequate transportation costs to Belgrade from the region.
Travel costs of applicants applying outside of the region of SEE may
only partially be covered, but applicants from countries outside of
SEE are very welcome to apply. All the participants should arrive to
Belgrade on Sunday, September 18, 2011, in afternoon or evening hours.
Rooms in Hotel in down town Belgrade are double. The hotel is
situated in the very heart of down town Belgrade. All the
participants should depart from Belgrade on Friday evening (September
23)
IMPORTANT NOTE: All the participants are expected to attend all the
lectures. Organisers are not in a position to offer places to
participants who will be able to attend only part of lectures or who
will not be in a position to be present at the summer school during
its whole duration.
VISA REGIME: Nationals of the EU countries and EEA, Croatia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania do not need visas for Serbia.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:
Applications may be sent in the period from July 26, till August 12, 2011
By August 14, 2011 the Selection Committee will have selected applicants.
Selected applicants will receive e-mails and will be asked to confirm
their participation and will be informed what transportation costs the
organisers can cover. After confirming their participation they will
receive official letters of invitation.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Applicants should have at the very least a BA degree, and
preferably an MA or PhD degree in social sciences or humanities.
Applicants without completed BA degrees will not be taken into
consideration.
Applicants should be researchers or lecturers. They can also be
political or NGO leaders in their community (provided that they have
at least a BA degree)
2. All participants should be proficient in English since all the
lectures are in English.
3. Participants should preferably be nationals or residents of SEE
countries or other neighbouring countries. Nationals of other
countries can also apply but the organisers can not guarantee that
they will be able to cover all their travel costs. All transportation
and accommodation costs for selected participants from SEE are covered
by sponsors of ISSD.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
All prospective applicants are expected:
1. To send their CVs.
2. To send a short letter of motivation explaining in up
to two hundred words why they wish to be participants of the School
3. To send a letter of recommendation written by a
university lecturer or a researcher.
4. To fill in the application form available at www.anses.rs
All the applications should be sent in digital form only to:
Ms. Milica Bogdanovic,
Programme Co-ordinator
e-mail: angloserbiansociety@gmail.com
phone: +381-11-3629-734
fax: +381-11-2686-471
Address: Kraljice Natalije 21,
11 000 Belgrade, Serbia