ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: Scholars as Public Intellectuals Weighing in on History and Politics in East Central Europe (ASN Roundtable)

This is a recording of a roundtable discussion from the ASN (Association for the Study of Nationalities) 2013 annual convention at Columbia University on the theme of "Scholars as Public Intellectuals Weighing in on History and Politics in East Central Europe." It was recorded on April 19, 2013. 

The roundtable participants included Katherine Fleming (History, NYU), Florian Bieber (Political Science, University of Graz, Austria), Timothy Snyder (History, Yale), Kim Scheppele (International Affairs, Princeton), and István Deák (History-Emeritus, Columbia), with myself (Holly Case) as organizer and chair.

Roundtable Themes

Introduction of panelists (0:55)
How do you understand your own role as a public intellectual and which context do you see yourself as operating in primarily? (8:00) Fleming (8:55), Bieber (10:07), Snyder (12:40), Scheppele (17:06), Deák (18:37)
Who sets the agenda for public debate? How have events in East-Central Europe affected your career trajectory as public intellectuals? (21:52) Fleming (23:22), Bieber (24:55), Snyder (28:05), Scheppele (32:00), Deák (35:00)
What is your relationship to the country/countries that are the focus of your interventions as a public intellectual? (38:15) Fleming (39:08), Bieber (41:59), Snyder (45:23), Scheppele (49:55), Deák (54:22)
Why is it that women remain underrepresented among public intellectuals? (58:52) Fleming (59:54), Bieber (1:01:00), Snyder (1:01:38), Scheppele (1:03:17)
Audience questions: Do public intellectuals who do not speak up when people are spreading lies about history in effect legitimize those lies? (1:05:38) How has the social demand for public intellectuals evolved as a result of digital technologies? (1:08:44) How effective are the interventions of public intellectuals in influencing public attitudes/debate? (1:09:55) How do you represent your own country/culture to people from outside? (1:10:34) Deák (1:11:35), Scheppele (1:15:50), Snyder (1:19:34), Bieber (1:24:44), Fleming (1:29:13)
Audience questions: On the role of the post-communist transition in pushing women into the background (1:35:44) Why have most East-Central European economies struggled since the collapse of communism? (1:37:54) How much does engagement in public history influence academic writing? (1:39:35) Fleming (1:40:35), Bieber (1:42:17), Snyder (1:44:52), Scheppele (1:50:25), Deák (1:55:37)
To access roundtable discussion, click here: http://hdl.handle.net/1813/33424