Background
Authoritarian and totalitarian regimes give rise to opposition and resistance, but the forms and possibilities of resistance within the respective countries are limited and associated with high risks. Protests in exile are therefore of particular significance: on the one hand, protests by emigrated dissidents who were already politically active in their country of origin and are continuing their fight for democracy and against injustices and human rights violations in exile and on the other hand, protests by a diaspora that is becoming more politicised.
There are numerous current and historical examples of protests by exiles, such as dissidents from the GDR who supported the East German civil rights movement from West Germany after their forced expatriation, or activists from authoritarian states such as Belarus, China and Iran, who now campaign for regime change in their country of origin both in the digital space and on the ground in their countries of exile.
The form of the protests, their backgrounds, and their effectiveness are diverse and raise a multitude of questions. How is the protest movement organised? What triggers mobilisation, when and how does it happen? What influence do globalisation and digitisation have on the protests? What interests and trade-offs interact and what do networking and mobilisation look like on the ground? What are the consequences of the protests in the country of origin and in what form do activists in exile experience repression? What effect do these have and what do protesters need to be able to deal with them safely? What are the domestic and foreign policy implications of the protests in the country of exile and what challenges must European politics and society face?
We would like to explore these and other questions as part of a Summer School.
Realisation and Target Groups
The Summer School is aimed at young academics from various disciplines. Master’s students and PhD-students in the social sciences and humanities from Europe who wish to focus on this topic as part of their studies are invited to participate. There is space for 15 people.
The working language is English.
The Summer School will take place from 5 - 9 August 2024 in Berlin, whereby it is recommended to arrive on 4 August 2024. It consists of various formats, including lectures by renowned academics, discussions with activists, workshops and excursions.
The Summer School focuses on four main topics:
Who, when and why: Current and historical reflections on mobilisation and protest in exile.
Globalisation and digitisation: Forms of protest through the ages
Success, failure and repression: Consequences and effects of the exile protest in the country of origin.
Political challenges and possible actions for the countries of exile.
At the end of the Summer School, participants are asked to write essays. Selected essays will then be published in an online publication. Participants have four weeks after the Academy to write their essays.
Conditions for participation
The application must be submitted by 15 May 2024 and must include
- a completed application form,
- a letter of motivation including your research interest (max. one page),
- enrolment or proof of doctoral studies at a European university,
- proof of English language proficiency (B2 level),
- and a CV (max. one page).
Please hand in your application via email (one pdf-document, not exceeding 5 MB).
The costs for travel, accommodation (in double rooms), and the programme are included. The cost of international health insurance must be borne by the participants themselves.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your interest – we look forward to working with you.
Contact:
Katharina Fißmer
Department Culture & Society