A Graduate Student Workshop
Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
April 20-22, 2001
At the end of the twentieth century European political arena can be characterized by political innovation and change. New actors have emerged across the political spectrum, from the greens on the left to neo-nationalists on the right. In some countries these parties have profited solely from protest votes; in others they have garnered enough electoral strength to gain seats in the legislature, and even in coalition governments. Parties face structural challenges due to a changing institutional system at the domestic level and the exigencies of European Union at the supranational. The traditional role of grassroots activism seems eclipsed by the growth of high-tech campaigning. As the fundamental link between individual constituent and representative is increasingly called into question, voting rates have dropped across Europe. Some observers even fear for the survival of party-based democracy.
Yet sudden transformations in the European political fabric are nothing new. From the last decades of the nineteenth century, the party political landscape was fundamentally changed by the arrival of mass suffrage, new kinds of parties and new forms of party organization. Socialists, clericals and right-wing populists riding waves of resurgent nationalism established themselves across the contintent after 1870. Then, after the watershed of the First World War, Communist and Fascist parties were able to challenge the very legitimacy of the European parliamentary system. In the wake of the Second World War, the party political spectrum was again reshaped, if not as violently, by the emergence of powerful Christian Democratic Parties and more recently by varying constellations of environmentalists, regionalists and territorialist xenophobes.
This conference will bring together papers from different disciplines which examine the changes and constants in the continental party system since the late-nineteenth century and suggest original approaches for examining European parties and party politics. Graduate students will have an opportunity to discuss their work with student and faculty participants. Paper applications addressing the following themes are particularly encouraged:
*The emergence and institutionalization of non-traditional political parties or movements e.g. the radical-nationalist right or special interest organizations (class-based, regionally-based or environmental parties) *The relationship of parties to civil society (including interest groups, constituencies, voting and other forms of representation) *Internal challenges to party organization, including the mass-elite relationship, membership, resources, etc. *International and supranational challenges to the party system *The relationship of parties to the state, the economy or democracy *Political culture and party ideologies *Campaigns and elections
Participation in the workshop is competitive and by application and will be limited to advanced standing doctoral students in North America and Europe. To be considered, proposals should clearly relate to research on Europe or European countries, to broader theoretical debates in the fields of anthropology, history, political science or sociology and should focus on the modern period. Submitted applications will include 1) a curriculum vitae,
2) a three-page summary of dissertation research and
3) a one-page paper proposal.
Complete applications must be received by December 15, 2000.
Accepted papers will be due on March 15, 2001 for pre-circulation. Please send your application materials to
Lisa Eschenbach, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University, 27 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, 617.495.4303 x231, lmeschen@fas.harvard.edu.Travel and accommodations for participants will be provided by the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University.
The Workshop is organized by Eric Kurlander and Bonnie Meguid and advised by Professors David Blackbourn, Torben Iversen and Cindy Skach.
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