Past Conferences

The Institute for Social Research (Institut für Sozialforschung) was founded in Frankfurt a century ago, in 1923. To mark the occasion of its founding and growth over the last one hundred years, the Harvard Colloquium for Intellectual History will convene at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University, bringing together some of the scholars who have played a major role in the interpretation and transformation of critical theory in both Europe and America.

This two-day conference also marks the 50^th year since the initial publication in 1973 of Martin Jay’s The Dialectical Imagination, a book that was crucial to the early reception of Frankfurt School critical theory in North America and beyond.

Please refer the agenda below for a list of discussions and speakers. For those who cannot attend in person, this conference will be livestreamed. Register via the links below to register and attend via Zoom.

Conference Agenda

This conference will take place from Friday, October 6-Saturday, October, 7. View the full agenda and a list of speakers here:

• Day 1 | Flaschenpost: Critical Theory at 100
• Register here to view Day 1 of the conference via Zoom.

• Day 2 | Flaschenpost: Critical Theory at 100
• Register here to view Day 2 of the conference via Zoom.

This two-day conference is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required and may be completed via the conference web site.

Funding for this conference is generously provided by the Knapp Family Foundation.

The Summit on the Future of Europe is an initiative of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES) at Harvard University. Since 2014, this annual conference convenes scholars and public leaders to debate critical challenges facing Europe. The fifth annual Summit is a partnership of CES, the Harvard Kennedy School’s Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship, diaNEOsis Research and Policy Institute, European Stability Initiative (ESI) and Central European University (CEU).

This conference will reflect on the protests of 1968 and their historical and intellectual ramifications by taking a fresh look at the legacies of that tumultuous year. The cultural icon “1968” has transformed into many distinct areas which far exceed the intentions and experiences of those who participated in the actual events. At its fiftieth anniversary, we will mark the transition of ’68 from memory to history by fostering a conversation that would provide a novel perspective towards this century-defining year. This conference brings together scholars focusing on the cultural and intellectual history of protest in France, Germany, and the Global Sixties. Speakers will reflect on the new directions of historical thinking about 1968 and will explore the legacies of this pivotal intellectual moment for political thought and social movement studies.

Conference attendees are invited to view the art exhibit Occupying Paris: 1968 and the Spaces of Protest at the Jacek E. Giedrojć Gallery at CES.

(Photo Credit: AP Images)

Please refer to the agenda for sessions on March 22 & 23.

Please refer to the agenda for sessions on March 22 & 23.

This event provides the opportunity for CES thesis research grantees to present their research and preliminary findings and receive support and constructive feedback during their writing process from faculty, scholars and fellow students.

For the Harvard community, this event is an opportunity to learn from new research and findings on diverse social science topics related to Europe. Moreover, for those students considering writing a thesis and applying for a CES senior thesis grant, this conference helps to illustrate what to expect in preparing and writing a thesis as well as the how you will benefit from this rigorous but rewarding process.

The 4th annual Summit on the Future of Europe took place on November 6th, 2017 with the participation of more than 200 people from across Harvard, Europe and beyond. This year's Summit focused on "Europe and Transatlantic Relations in the Era of Populism." On this page, you will find the executive summary of the presentations, news coverage, videos, photographs and the agenda with a detailed listing of the panels and their participants.

The Center thanks its sponsors the diaNEOsis Research and Policy Institute and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center as well as the participants who helped make the Summit a successful and enlightening event.

Can liberal democracy be saved by a reconstructed Left in Europe? Across the continent leftist parties are facing political irrelevance as rising populist parties are giving voice to disenfranchised voters who believe that neo-liberal financial policies rescued bankers at the cost of the people’s welfare. As architects of these policies, leftist parties appear rudderless in the crossfire of this debate. At these panels, scholars and policy makers will analyze the challenges of today’s leftist parties and examine if a transformation could strengthen them against threats to democratic principles.

This event will bring together scholars working on the historical and theoretical dimensions of the refugee phenomenon, particularly as it relates to the urban cultures of Istanbul and Berlin. It presents an opportunity to rethink the relation between statelessness and the city throughout the twentieth century.

Please register for this event here.