The topic: The Summer School wants to look at the development of those countries, which until the end of the 1980s were part of the socialist world. Even after more than 20 years since the end of socialism many scholars still see a dominance of post-socialist path-dependences in the political, economic and societal developments of these countries. At the same time the Central Eastern European states, which have joined the EU, have undergone a strong process of Europeanization  and it can be argued that the EU in various ways  has also had an impact on developments in the post-Soviet countries, most of which are united in the CIS. In addition all countries are subjected to a multitude of pressures  resulting from the ongoing process of globalization, ranging from financial crises to cultural exchanges.

We invite young academics working on the role of post-socialist path-dependence, Europeanization and Globalization in the countries of Central Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to apply to the 7th Changing Europe Summer School.

The Summer School: Each year the Changing Europe Summer School brings together about 20  young academics (i.e. mainly doctoral students from disciplines like sociology, political science, economics, social anthropology, law, geography and history) working on issues related to countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Participation in the Summer School gives them a chance to discuss their research projects and to become better integrated into the international academic community.

The core of the Summer School consists of the presentation of doctoral research projects and their discussion with senior researchers of international repute in their respective fields. In addition, there will be several sessions with experts on funding, access to information, publication strategies and policy consulting. The sessions will be framed by lectures and excursions as well as other activities designed to give participants the opportunity to socialize and establish contacts. Selected contributions to the Summer School will be published in an edited volume in English. The participants will be invited to join our alumni network.

Paper proposals: Paper proposals must be based on original doctoral research projects and may not exceed 1000 words. They must be drafted in English and must connect  an empirical question with a theoretical approach and concept in order to be accepted. An international review panel will assess the papers for the conference in an anonymous review process (for more information about the reviewers, see www.changing-europe.de). The deadline for receipt of paper proposals is 31 March 2012. Please submit your proposal according to the guidelines at www.changing-europe.de.

Costs: Funding by the organizer covers participation fees and accommodation (double rooms in students’ hall of residence). Participants will have to cover their travel costs themselves.

Location: National Research University - Higher School of Economics, Moscow

Information: More information about the Changing Europe Summer Schools is available at
www.changing-europe.de