Join us to learn about Solidarity’s progenitor, the Workers’ Defense Committee, and explore its impact on the struggle against authoritarianism in Poland and beyond. This event is part of the annual August Zaleski Memorial Lecture in Modern Polish History, hosted by the Minda de Gunzberg Center for European Studies at Harvard University.
Panel I (1:30-3:30 pm): From KOR to Solidarity: Fifty Years of Poland’s Democratic Revolution
Chair: Grzegorz Ekiert, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government; Resident Faculty, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies; Director, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
- Michael Bernhard, Raymond and Miriam Ehrlich Eminent Scholar Chair, College of Liberal Arts and Science, University of Florida
- Jan Kubik, Distinguished Professor, Department of Political Science, Rutgers
- Piotr Oseka, Institute Director & Professor, Department of Recent Political History, Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences
3:00 - 3:15 p.m. – Coffee Break
Panel 2 (3:15 - 4:45 p.m.): Beyond Poland: Anti-Authoritarian Movements in Comparative Perspective
Chair: Albana Shehaj, Program Manager, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
- Jonathan Bolton, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures; Faculty Associate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
- Barbara J. Falk, Professor, Canadian Forces College
- Mark Kramer, Program Director, Project on Cold War Studies, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
4:45 - 5:00 p.m. – Coffee Break
Panel III (5:00 - 6:30 p.m.): The Revolution of Dignity: KOR, Solidarity, and the Democratic Breakthrough of 1989
- Elzbieta Matynia, Professor Emerita of Sociology and Liberal Studies, The New School for Social Research
- Nina Witoszek, Director, Arne Naess Program on Global Justice and the Environment, University of Oslo
Jacek Zakowski, Director, Department of Journalism, University Civitas
Sponsorship
This event is organized by the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University and is co-sponsored by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University.
Accessibility
The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us at 617-495-4037 or daviscenter@fas.harvard.edu in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance if possible. Please note that the Davis Center will make every effort to secure services but that services are subject to availability.
