Václav Havel European Dialogues: The  Meaning of Central Europe in Today’s World by Timothy Garton Ash

Join us for a special collaborative event hosted by SSEES and the Czech Center London, marking the launch of the new Research Center for the Study of Places, Identities, and Memories (PIMs). This event celebrates the inauguration of PIMs and is part of the annual Václav Havel European Dialogues, a global series of discussions inspired by Havel’s enduring legacy.

The event will feature a keynote address by Timothy Garton Ash (University of Oxford), who will explore the evolving meanings of Central Europe. This theme resonates deeply with Václav Havel’s intellectual legacy. Where does Central Europe stand in the contemporary world and politics, and what does it represent today? Garton Ash will delve into the diverse interpretations of Central Europe throughout history and culture, its varied and debated uses and its constant search for its “other”. He will also reflect on Central Europe’s significance in today’s increasingly polarized global landscape, with particular emphasis on the impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This discussion promises to offer profound insights into the identities of a diverse region and its role in shaping the future of Europe and beyond.

Jessie Barton Hronešová will moderate the event and will feature an esteemed panel of speakers, including Richard Mole, director of SSEES, and a word of welcome by Přemysl Pela, the director of the Czech Center in London, as well as Pawel Bukowski, co-director-of-the-new Research Center for the Study of Places, Identities, and Memories (PIMs).

Timothy Garton Ash is a distinguished British historian, political writer, and commentator, and he is celebrated for his extensive work on the contemporary history of Europe in general and Central and Eastern Europe in particular. He has authored eleven influential books on the ‘history of the present’, documenting the profound transformations across Europe since 1989. Notable among these are The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague (1990), In Europe’s Name: Germany and the Divided Continent (1993), The File: A Personal History (1997), History of the Present: Essays, Sketches and Despatches from Europe in the 1990s (2000), Free World (2004), Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World (2016), and his most recent work, Homelands: A Personal History of Europe – now translated into 24 languages. These works have become essential for anyone interested in European history and politics. He is a Professor Emeritus of European Studies at the University of Oxford and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A prolific contributor to leading international publications like The Guardian and The New York Review of Books, his work continues to shape debates on European identity, democracy, and the challenges posed by authoritarianism in today’s world. He also runs his substack with weekly essays called History of the Present.