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Event Series

Contemporary Europe Study Group


Many of the issues confronting Europe today are not confined to any single nation-state but are transnational in scope. While many European countries face questions of security, immigration, and rising nationalism, each nation’s response differs. This interdisciplinary Study Group focuses primarily on these transnational issues in the post-1945 period.

H.E. Jean-Marc Ayrault spoke about the state of affairs in France and Europe in November 2014.

Study Group Events Calendar

Conspiracy Theorizing in Germany in the Age of Social Media Contemporary Europe Study Group — Conspiracy Theorizing in Germany in the Age of Social Media
April 23, 2019
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Eva Marlene Hausteiner – Postdoctoral Lecturer and Researcher in Political Theory, University of Bonn
  • Chair Daniel Ziblatt – Eaton Professor of the Science of Government & CES Acting Director, Spring 2019, Harvard University
The Brexit Turning Point Contemporary Europe Study Group — The Brexit Turning Point
April 11, 2019
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Vernon Bogdanor – Research Professor, Center for British Politics and Government, King's College London
  • Stathis Kalyvas – Gladstone Professor of Government, University of Oxford
  • Pippa Norris – Paul F. McGuire Lecturer in Comparative Politics, Harvard Kennedy School; Affiliated Faculty, Department of Government, Harvard University; Faculty Associate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Chair James Cronin – Professor of History, Boston College; Local Affiliate & Co-Chair, Contemporary Europe Study Group, CES, Harvard University
Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off? Turkey-EU Relations in Turbulent Times Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off? Turkey-EU Relations in Turbulent Times
April 5, 2019
10:30am - 12:00pm
  • Dimitar Bechev – Research Fellow, The Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Chair Elaine Papoulias – Executive Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Exodus, Reckoning, Sacrifice: Three Meanings of Brexit Contemporary Europe Study Group — Exodus, Reckoning, Sacrifice: Three Meanings of Brexit
April 1, 2019
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Kalypso Nicolaïdis – Director, Center for International Studies, University of Oxford
  • Chair Charles Maier – Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History & CES Resident Faculty, Harvard University
Chinese International Students’ Networks at Elite Universities: A Comparative Study of Germany and the US Contemporary Europe Study Group — Chinese International Students’ Networks at Elite Universities: A Comparative Study of Germany and the US
March 13, 2019
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Başak Bilecen – Rosalind Franklin Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Groningen
  • Chair Muriel Rouyer – Adjunct Professor of Public Policy, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School
Cooperation Against Terrorism in Europe - RSVP Required Contemporary Europe Study Group — Cooperation Against Terrorism in Europe - RSVP Required
March 1, 2019
10:30am - 12:00pm
Europe’s Travails: Is Deeper Integration the Answer? European Economic Policy Forum — Europe’s Travails: Is Deeper Integration the Answer?
November 30, 2018
2:30pm - 4:00pm
  • Ashoka Mody – Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor in International Economic Policy, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University
  • Sofia A. Perez – Associate Professor of Political Science, Boston University & CES Local Affiliate, Harvard University;
  • George Alogoskoufis – Karamanlis Chair of Hellenic and European Studies, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; Minister of Economy and Finance of Greece (2004-2009)
  • Chair Hans-Helmut Kotz – Visiting Professor of Economics & Resident Faculty, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University; Member of the Executive Board, German Bundesbank (2002-2012) and Dante Roscini – MBA Class of 1952 Professor of Management Practice of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Faculty Associate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Welcoming Refugees: Lessons from the European Asylum Crisis Contemporary Europe Study Group — Welcoming Refugees: Lessons from the European Asylum Crisis
November 29, 2018
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Pascal Brice – General Director of the Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OPFRA)
Can Large Welfare States and Strong Civil Societies Coexist? Lessons from Scandinavia Contemporary Europe Study Group — Can Large Welfare States and Strong Civil Societies Coexist? Lessons from Scandinavia
November 19, 2018
12:00pm - 1:15pm
  • Kristin Strømsnes – Democracy Visiting Fellow, Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Lars Skov Henriksen – Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University, Denmark
  • Lars Svedberg – Senior Professor, Institute for Civil Society Studies, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Moderated by Muriel Rouyer – Visiting Scholar 2009-2010, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Transnational Nationalism: The Imagined Global Community of Muslims in Europe Contemporary Europe Study Group — Transnational Nationalism: The Imagined Global Community of Muslims in Europe
November 7, 2018
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Riva Kastoryano – Visiting Professor of Sociology and Government & CES Resident Faculty, Harvard University (Fall, 2018); Senior Research Fellow, CNRS; Professor, Sciences, Po, Paris
  • Chair Laura Levine Frader – Professor Emeritus, Northeastern University; Seminar Co-chair & Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
A Conversation with Douglas Alexander – Are We Destined to a Decade of Populism? Worldwide Week at Harvard | Contemporary Europe Study Group — A Conversation with Douglas Alexander – Are We Destined to a Decade of Populism?
October 24, 2018
2:00pm - 3:30pm
  • Douglas Alexander – Senior Fellow, The Future of Diplomacy Project, Harvard Kennedy School; Chair of Unicef United Kingdom; former Secretary of State for International Development and UK Governor to the World Bank
  • Muriel Rouyer – Visiting Scholar 2009-2010, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Seth Johnston – Major, United States Army; Visiting Scholar 2018-2019, CES, Harvard University; International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Research Associate, Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Philip Rathgeb – Visiting Scholar, CES, Harvard University; Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Konstanz
  • Irfan Hemani – Mid Career MPA, Harvard Kennedy School; Programme Director, Aga Khan Foundation
  • Ammar Waraich – MPP Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School; Member of the Royal College of Physicians; Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy
  • Moderated by Muriel Rouyer – Visiting Scholar 2009-2010, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
The Life and Work of Claude Lévi-Strauss Harvard Colloquium for Intellectual History — The Life and Work of Claude Lévi-Strauss
October 15, 2018
4:30pm - 6:00pm
Historical Memory, Inter-Ethnic Relations and Conflict Prevention in European Foreign Policy Contemporary Europe Study Group — Historical Memory, Inter-Ethnic Relations and Conflict Prevention in European Foreign Policy
October 12, 2018
10:00am - 12:00pm
  • Lamberto Zannier – High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE
  • George Soroka – Executive Officer, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University; Lecturer on Government, Department of Government, Harvard University; Faculty Associate & Editor, Open Forum Series, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Timothy W. Ryback – Director, Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation in The Hague
  • Oxana Shevel – Associate Professor, Political Science & Director of International Relations Program, Tufts University
  • Moderated by Bob Deen – Head of Section and Senior Adviser to the High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
  • Chair Thomas W. Simons Jr. – Former Ambassador to Poland and Pakistan and Visting Scholar, Harvard University
Making Germans out of Turks and Arabs? Holocaust Memory and Inclusion/Exclusion of Immigrants Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — Making Germans out of Turks and Arabs? Holocaust Memory and Inclusion/Exclusion of Immigrants
September 24, 2018
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Esra Özyürek – Associate Professor in Contemporary Turkish Studies, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Chair Colin Brown – Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
The Rise of Hybrid Political Islam in Turkey: Its Underpinnings and Consequences Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — The Rise of Hybrid Political Islam in Turkey: Its Underpinnings and Consequences
September 12, 2018
2:30pm - 4:00pm
  • Chair Ayşe Kadıoğlu – Professor of Political Science, Sabanci University and CES Visiting Scholar, Harvard University
The Politics of History and the Future of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (POLIN) The Politics of History and the Future of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (POLIN)
September 5, 2018
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Dariusz Stola – Director, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government and CES Director, Harvard University
The Paradox of Germany's AfD Party: A Case of Populism in a Stable Society and Thriving Economy European Union Study Group — The Paradox of Germany's AfD Party: A Case of Populism in a Stable Society and Thriving Economy
April 3, 2018
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Edouard Husson – Professor of Modern History and International Affairs, and Vice-President, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University
  • Chair Nicolas Prevelakis – Lecturer on Social Studies, Harvard University
  • Respondent David Art – Associate Professor of Political Science, Tufts University and CES Local Affiliate, Harvard University
Feminist Politics and Troubles with Democracy: Delving Into a Complex Relationship Seminar on Social Exclusion and Inclusion — Feminist Politics and Troubles with Democracy: Delving Into a Complex Relationship
March 22, 2018
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Mieke Verloo – Professor of Comparative Politics and Inequality Issues, Department of Political Science, Radboud University
Panel on the Implications of the French and German Elections for the Future of the European Union Contemporary Europe Study Group — Panel on the Implications of the French and German Elections for the Future of the European Union
November 20, 2017
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Adrien Abecassis – Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University; Diplomat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France
  • Hans-Helmut Kotz – Visiting Professor of Economics, Harvard University
  • Niels Planel – International Consultant, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
  • Chair Arthur Goldhammer – Chair, Visiting Scholars Seminar: New Research on Europe, CES, Harvard University
Minority Presence and Representation: Transatlantic Lessons Seminar on Social Exclusion and Exclusion and Contemporary Europe Study Group — Minority Presence and Representation: Transatlantic Lessons
October 12, 2017
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Bruno Perreau – Cynthia L. Reed Professor of French Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Faculty Associate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Libby Adler – Professor of Law and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Northeastern University School of Law
Brexit's Prehistories Contemporary Europe Study Group and European Union Study Group — Brexit's Prehistories
October 6, 2017
2:15pm - 4:00pm
  • Kiran Klaus Patel – Professor of European and Global History; Jean Monnet Chair; Maastricht University
  • Chair Laura Levine Frader – Professor Emeritus, Northeastern University; Seminar Co-chair & Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Brexit: From Fantasy/Nightmare to Hard Bargaining: A Discussion with Ed Balls Contemporary Europe Study Group — Brexit: From Fantasy/Nightmare to Hard Bargaining: A Discussion with Ed Balls
April 24, 2017
1:30pm - 3:30pm
  • Ed Balls – UK Shadow Chancellor (2011-2015); Senior Fellow, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
  • Chair James Cronin – Professor of History, Boston College; Local Affiliate & Seminar Co-chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
GERMANYforYou: Social Media Translates "Germany" for Refugees Contemporary Europe Study Group — GERMANYforYou: Social Media Translates "Germany" for Refugees
March 28, 2017
2:15pm - 4:00pm
  • Isabel Schayani – Project Leader, WDRforyou; Editor, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR); John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow 2016-2017, CES, Harvard University
  • Moderated by Georg Diez – Reporter and Columnist, Politics and Culture, Der Spiegel; 2016-2017 Fellow, Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University
The Future of European Political Debate: Some Lessons from France Contemporary Europe Study Group — The Future of European Political Debate: Some Lessons from France
February 23, 2017
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Emile Chabal – Chancellor's Fellow in History, University of Edinburgh
  • Julian Bourg – Associate Professor of History, Boston College; Local Affiliate & Seminar Co-chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
The Populist Paradox: How the Promotion of Christian Identity  by European Populists Contributes to Secularization Contemporary Europe and European Union Study Groups — The Populist Paradox: How the Promotion of Christian Identity by European Populists Contributes to Secularization
February 1, 2017
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Olivier Roy – Research Director, Unit on the 'Iranian World,' Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
  • Tarek Masoud – Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
  • Introduction by Muriel Rouyer – Visiting Scholar 2009-2010, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Delivering Change in the New European Context Contemporary Europe Study Group — Delivering Change in the New European Context
October 28, 2016
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Valérie Pécresse – President of the Greater Paris Region, France
  • Moderated by Muriel Rouyer – Visiting Scholar 2009-2010, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
EVENT CANCELLED - Nordic and German Responses to the Crises in Europe Contemporary Europe Study Group — EVENT CANCELLED - Nordic and German Responses to the Crises in Europe
October 26, 2016
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Jon Erik Dølvik – Director, Fafo Institute for Labor and Social Research
  • Alexander Görlach – Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, The European; Visiting Scholar 2016-2017, CES, Harvard University; John F. Kennedy Memorial Policy Fellow 2014, CES, Harvard University
A Nation of ‘Bystanders’? A Topography of Complicity and Capitulation in Nazi Germany and Beyond Contemporary Europe Study Group — A Nation of ‘Bystanders’? A Topography of Complicity and Capitulation in Nazi Germany and Beyond
September 29, 2016
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Mary Fulbrook – Dean, Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences; Professor of German History and Director, UCL European Institute, University College London
For a New Democratic Governance in France: A Public Address by Thierry Mandon, Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research Contemporary Europe Study Group — For a New Democratic Governance in France: A Public Address by Thierry Mandon, Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research
September 8, 2016
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Thierry Mandon – Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research, Republic of France
  • Peter A. Hall – Krupp Foundation Professor of European Studies, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Seminar Co-chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
A European Germany and a German Europe, 1989-2015 A European Germany and a German Europe, 1989-2015
October 19, 2015
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Harold James – Claude and Lore Kelly Professor in European Studies; Professor of History and International Affairs, Princeton University; Director, Program in Contemporary European Politics and Society, Princeton University
Looking Back at German Unification Looking Back at German Unification
October 13, 2015
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Charles S. Maier – Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History, Harvard University
  • Tereza Novotna – FNRS Post-Doctoral Researcher, Institute for European Studies, Universite Libre de Bruxelles
From Ottoman Empire to Italian Colonialism: The Jews of Rhodes 1900-1944
September 17, 2015
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Aron Rodrigue – Charles Michael Professor in Jewish History and Culture, Stanford University
Why Has There Been Populism in Greece But Not Yet in Spain? Why Has There Been Populism in Greece But Not Yet in Spain?
April 20, 2015
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Joaquín Almunia – Vice President and Commissioner for Competition, European Commission (2010-2014); Short-Term Fellow, CES, Harvard University
  • Takis Pappas – Associate Professor of Comparative Politics, Department of Balkan, Slavic & Oriental Studies of the University of Macedonia, Greece; Visiting Fellow at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, European University Institute
Populism in Europe from the Right to the Left Populism in Europe from the Right to the Left
April 16, 2015
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Sofia A. Perez – Associate Professor of Political Science, Boston University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Cas Mudde – Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF Professor, University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs
  • Laurent Bouvet – Professor of Political Science, Université de Versailles, St. Quentin-en-Yvelines
Prosecuting Nazi Perpetrators in German Courts during the Occupation Period, 1945-1950 Prosecuting Nazi Perpetrators in German Courts during the Occupation Period, 1945-1950
March 24, 2015
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Devin Pendas – Associate Professor of History, Boston College; Co-Chair, Contemporary Europe Study Group, CES, Harvard University
Immigration and the ‘Republican’ Model in France
March 5, 2015
5:15pm - 7:00pm
  • James Hollifield – Professor of Political Science, Southern Methodist University Dallas
France After the Terrorist Attacks in Paris France After the Terrorist Attacks in Paris
February 5, 2015
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Gérard Araud – Former Ambassador of France to the United States (2014-2019)
  • Introduction by Arthur Goldhammer – Writer & Translator; Local Affiliate & Seminar Co-chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Coexistence with the Enemy? French Jewish Youth and the Vichy Regime
December 3, 2014
5:15pm - 7:00pm
  • Daniel Lee – Post-doctoral Fellow, Oxford University
The Current State of France and Europe The Current State of France and Europe
November 12, 2014
5:15pm - 7:00pm
  • Jean-Marc Ayrault – H.E Prime Minister of the Republic of France (2012-2014)
  • Commentary by Michael Ignatieff – President & Rector, Central European University (2016-2021); Senior Fellow, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Islam's Arrival in the West: The Downfall of Christendom? Islam's Arrival in the West: The Downfall of Christendom?
October 30, 2014
2:15pm - 4:00pm
  • Alexander Görlach – Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, The European; Visiting Scholar 2016-2017, CES, Harvard University; John F. Kennedy Memorial Policy Fellow 2014, CES, Harvard University
  • Introduction by Sarah Bracke – Associate Professor of Sociology, Ghent University
  • Respondent Jocelyne Cesari – Professor of Religion and Politics, University of Birmingham; T. J. Dermot Dunphy Visiting Professor of Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Variations on Simone Weil: European and North American Receptions of Her Antisemitica
October 22, 2014
4:15pm - 6:00pm

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