Central European Days

In the twenty-five years since the fall of communism in Europe, the Central European countries of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary have successfully established themselves in the European family of democracies as members of the EU and NATO, and as dynamic market economies with strong and growing ties to Denmark.

Central European Days will introduce to these four countries from a variety of angles. Their ambassadors will debate the opportunities and challenges faced by their countries in contemporary Europe, scholars will discuss memory politics and the challenges of coming to terms with the communist and pre-communist past, representatives from the private sector will address market opportunities in the region, and journalists and artists will discuss how art and culture in the Central European region have responded to the massive transformations of the last two and a half decades.

Film and music from the region will round off this eye-opening event.

From September 2015 onwards the Faculty of Humanities is launching a new international and interdisciplinary Master’s elective study (up to 45 ECTS) in Central European Studies offered by the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies.

During the two Central European Days there will be rich opportunity to know more about the new programme.

Everybody is welcome - registration is not necessary!

Programme

Thursday March 19

10:00 Welcome by the organizers associate professor, SAXO, Marie Sandberg & Head of Study, CCRS, Annika Hvithamar

10:05 Opening note by Prorector for Education, University of Copenhagen, Lykke Friis

10:15 Welcome by Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Ulf Hedetoft

10:30 - 11:50 Panel debate: Why Central Europe? Why now?

• Boris Gandel, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Denmark
• Jiří Brodský, MSc, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Denmark
• Rafał Wiśniewski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Denmark
• László Hellebrandt, Ambassador of Hungary to Denmark

Moderator: Peter Bugge

11:50 - 12.00 Executive Director of the International Visegrad Fund, Karla Wursterová: Presentation of the International Visegrad Fund.

12:00 - 13:00: Lunch break

13:00 - 13:30  Lecture by Katarzyna Zielińska, Jagellonian University
                      Religion and Politics in Poland: Challenges for Gender Equality

13:30 - 13:45 Discussion

13:45 - 14:00 Coffee Break

14:00 - 14:30  Lecture by Sune Bechmann Pedersen, Lund University
                      Memory Politics in Czech Cinema

14:30 - 14:45  Discussion

14:45 - 15:00  Break

15:00 - 16:00  The Business landscape of the Central European Region. Opportunities and Challenges

• Peter V. Helk, Manager DI International Business Development
• Lars Ekström, General Manager Danske Bank A/S, Poland Branch
• Allan Rasmussen, Executive Vice President of Coloplast
• Poul Mortensen, Executive Vice President, Falck Danmark A/S. Emergency Europe

16:30  Film screening: Kandidát (2013)
CCRS/ToRS canteen, building 10, 3rd floor

9:45  Coffee

10:00 - 10:30  Andrea Petö, Central European University
                      Revisionist History Writing in Central Europe: a Challenge for All?

10:30 - 10:45  Discussion

10:45 - 11:00  Break

11:00 – 11:30  Katalin Deme, Aarhus University
                       Whose memorial sites? Whose memory? The Holocaust and the
                       re-historicization of the public space in post-socialist Bratislava'. 

11:30-11:45  Discussion

11.:45-13:00  Lunch Break

13-14:30  Panel debate (in Danish) Centraleuropæiske veje til Europa – kulturel identitet,
               erindringspolitik og fællesskab.

• Peter Eszterhás, forfatter
• Michael Kuttner, Jyllands-Posten
• Karin Larsen, free-lance journalist, P1 Orientering
• Peter Nielsen, Dagbladet Information    

Moderator: Peter Bugge

Central- og Østeuropa opfattes i Vesten sædvanligvis som én homogen region, og i mange henseender ikke ulig 'østblokken' under Den kolde krig. I paneldebatten vil vi gerne belyse den centraleuropæiske regions mange forskellige kulturelle identiteter, erindringspolitikker og tilgange til det europæiske fællesskab i EU, med særligt fokus på landene Polen, Tjekkiet, Slovakiet og Ungarn.

Hvilke andre fortællinger om Europa kan disse fire landes historie bidrage med, herunder hvordan er Holocaust blevet tematiseret fra 2. Verdenskrig og frem? Hvordan er de store overgange - herunder transformationen til markedsøkonomi, liberalisering og vejen til det europæiske fællesskab i EU - erfaret og behandlet i litteraturen, kunsten og kulturen? Panelet består af fremtrædende danske journalister, kulturpersoner og forfattere, som på forskellig vis er engagerede i den centraleuropæiske region.

14:30: Reception

Entertainment by Jazz ensemble:

Gábor Bolla, tenor sax (Hungary), Artur Tuźnik, piano (Poland), Vladimír Micenko, double bas (Slovakia), Vaclav Palka, drums (Czech Republic).

Marketplace

In the foyer there will be stalls representing the four countries Poland, Hungary Czech Republic and Slovak Republic

The student canteen Pitstop will serve a menu based on recipes from the Central European Region, and Pitstop will organize a market with regional products

Café Mødestedet will sell beverages and snacks from the Central European Region

The student book-shop will have a special exhibition with titles from the Central European region.

Get to know the Visegrad countries better through an interactive game. You will have to find clues and break codes all around the atrium to solve the puzzle! Everyone who successfully solves the puzzle gets a small gastro gift.

We will also play the lottery among the successful code-breakers and the winner gets a gift pack!

Don't miss the film-screening of Kandidát (2013) - a black humored thriller situated in Slovakia, March 19, 16:30 in ToRS' canteen, build. 10, 3rd floor.