The Twelfth South-East European Summer School for Democracy Entitled Impact of Global Crisis on Stability and Security in the Balkans to be held in Belgrade, Serbia from 13st till 18st September 2009

 

Organisers

The School is organized by the Hellenic Observatory 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, 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, Corresponding member of the Serbian Academy, Prof. Christopher Coker, London School of Economics, Prof. Kevin Featherstone, Hellenic Observatory/LSE and Dr. Slobodan G. Markovich, Executive Director of the Summer School.

The Background of the Idea

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 have directed it since 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 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 is: GLOBAL IMPACT ON STABILITY AND SECURITY IN THE BALKANS
The 2010 course will be: CHALLENGES OF EU ENLARGEMENT IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

The Mission of the School

- To improve junior faculty skills in modern democratic theory;
- To create networks of young scholars, political and NGO activists in SEE dealing with democratic theory;
- To analyse conditions and possibilities for democratic social changes, especially in so‑called transition societies;
- To develop and promote academic exchange between Western universities with Serbia and SEE countries.
- To improve regional academic co-operation and to overcome mutual stereotypes and preconceptions.

 

Participants and Lecturers

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 transportation and accommodation costs for participants selected are covered by the School through donations.

The course lecturers (resource persons) are professors and associates from the Hellenic Observatory of London School of Economics, from the University of Westminster, 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 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 integrations.
Rationale
The School was initiated during the authoritarian rule of Slobodan Milosevic, and has always endeavoured to foster regional co-operation and keep Yugoslav 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.

Time and Place

The School lasts one week and is organized in Belgrade from September 13, till September 19.
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, LSE
  • Dr. James Ker-Lindsay, Hellenic Observatory, LSE
  • Mr. Tim Judah, The Economist, London
  • Dr. Slobodan G. Markovich, Faculty of Political Science, Belgrade
  • Prof. Vukasin Pavlovic, Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Political Science, Belgrade
  • Prof. Vojislav Stanovcic, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • Ms.Sonja Licht, Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence
  • Ivan Vejvoda, Balkan Trust for Democracy
  • Dr. Eric Beckett Weaver, Budapest

            Afternoon Worshops’ Co-ordinators

  • Dr. Eric Beckett Weaver, Budapest

Format

re 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 a either short presentation (15 minutes long) or an essay (3-5 pages) dealing with one of the following topics:

  • Economic impact of global crisis on my native country
  • Political impact of global crisis on my native country

 

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 all adequately prepared essays and presentations in the Proceedings of the Summer School that are regularly printed in English.      

Accommodation and Transportation

The Summer Seminar will be held in hotel Majestic (accommodation is in double rooms) in the very centre of Belgrade, Serbia, based on half-board.
(http://www.majestic.rs/english/)

 The organisers will cover adequate transportation costs to Belgrade from the region. Travel costs of applicants applying outside of the region of SEE may not be covered, but applicants from countries outside of SEE are very welcome to apply.

Arrival Day

All the participants should arrive to Belgrade on Sunday, September 13, 2009, 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.

Departure Day

All the participants should depart from Belgrade on Saturday, September 19, 2009, in afternoon hours.

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 able to be present at the seminar during its whole duration.

VISA REGIME: Nationals of the following countries do not need visas for Serbia: EU nationals (including European zone), nationals of (FYR) Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and the Republic of Croatia. Citizens of Albania and Turkey need visas for Serbia and the Anglo-Serbian Society will send to selected participants appropriate letters of invitation and will offer all other technical assistance should it be needed.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:

Applications may be sent in the period from July 15, till August 5, 2009

By August 7, 2009 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 the 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.

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 donors of ISSD.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

All prospective applicants are expected:

  • To send their CVs.
  • To send a short letter of motivation explaining in up to two hundred words why they wish to be participants of the School
  • To send a letter of recommendation written by a university lecturer or a researcher.
  • 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

CONTACT PERSONS:
Dr. Slobodan Markovich,
Executive Director of the School
phone: +381-11-3629-734
Address: Kraljice Natalije 21,
11 000 Belgrade, Serbia