Special Programs

The Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies occasionally hosts special events including conferences, workshops, and symposia the focus on the center's thematic. Details of these events can be found below.

CONFERENCE
The Nines: Brinks, Cusps, and Perceptions of Possibility—from 1789-2009
December 3-5, 2009
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

The 20th anniversary of 1989 stimulates reflections on the momentous events from Germany to China that promised change in the world. But the end of other decades—1979 in Iran and Afghanistan, the financial crisis in 1929, and in exemplary ways, 1789 in France—inspire similar commemorative reconsiderations. These and other “nines” include moments of transition and change, possibility and crisis. While the promise of democracy might frame our reflections on 1989, it is not enough to help us appreciate how other radical transformations were conceived or experienced, and indeed, what the iconic “1989” also embodied beyond democracy’s extension. We need to better understand how world-historic events shape the imagination, and how visions of the world and its perceived trajectories can shape the course of events.

In Fall 2009, the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, together with other partnering units at the University of Michigan, will present programs addressing the relationship between world-historic events and alternative visions of the world embedded in these times. This series will explore 1989 alongside historical transformations of the many other iconic “nines” of the modern era and the alternative futures they inspired.

ABSTRACTS

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE and PAPERS
During the conference, panelists will give brief presentations of their arguments, with the assumption that audience members have read the papers prior to the session. In order to fully participate in panel discussions, please read the papers by clicking on the link above and following links to papers. PAPERS ARE NOT TO BE REPRODUCED OR QUOTED WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS.