East-Central Europe Past and Present

This blog features interviews with scholars of East-Central and Southeastern Europe (including the Ottoman Empire and Turkey), Russia and the Soviet Union in which they offer their views on the past, present and future of the region. It also includes—under the heading "History in the Making"—original articles on the region and interviews with individuals there who are engaged in political activism or are otherwise living through events as they unfold.

HIGHLIGHTS - Spring and Summer 2013

Among my favorite moments from the interviews recorded this spring and summer were Kim Scheppele's remarks during a roundtable on "Scholars as Public Intellectuals Weighing in on History and Politics in East-Central Europe" on how scholars can fill the gap created by the decline of journalism (min. 17:15), as well as Timothy Snyder's observations from the same roundtable on "being able to say 'no' in an interesting way" (min. 30:10). Other insights include Val Bunce's lament that eccentricity is no longer considered a virtue in the hiring process (min. 1:13:08), and Matt Evangelista's explanation (for the uninitiated historian) of "process tracing" and its limits (min. 1:13:44). On the lighter side, David Ost describes being a rock star for one night in Moscow during the 1970s (Part I, min. 28:19). Finally, Norman Naimark's thoughts on mentorship (min. 53:51) are simply unforgettable.

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HIGHLIGHTS - Spring and Summer 2013