Newsletter - Social Science in Eastern Europe 2000-2
Denmark
]Social Science on Central and Eastern Europe in Denmark
Since the Second World War Denmark has been politically and culturally
oriented toward the Anglo-American world. This point of reference has had its
definite impact on cultural and scientific developments. In Soviet and East
European Studies, the dividing between pro-Western and pro-Eastern scientists
was obviously reinforced, as the approach to and interpretation of their object
of study had wide-ranging moral and political connotations. Being a small
country with but a handful of people working in the field, the divide was at
times reinforced by professional, institutional and even personal factors. After
the fall of communism, Soviet and East European Studies in Denmark are, as in
other countries, gradually loosing their professional isolation, becoming
gradually integrated into the general social sciences.
Soviet and East European Studies in Denmark in the 1980s
Soviet Studies were a product of the political needs generated by the cold
war. Whether seen from the pro-Soviet left or from the anti-Communist and
Western oriented right, the understanding of the Central and East European
societies, up till the very collapse of communism, provided ammunition for the
political and ideological disputes about the virtues of capitalism versus
socialism. Various professional and institutional perspectives were added to
this divide.
Until the mid-1970s East European Studies (or Soviet Studies, the terms of
that time) in Denmark were concentrated in the Slavic Departments at the
universities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense. Led by a few classical
historians, among them in particular the late professor Noerretranders at the
University of Copenhagen, they emphasized traditional area studies. The ambition
was primarily to understand the logic and functioning of the communist countries
- and definitely not to engage in broader theory building. In mainstream social
sciences remained the exception at the political, economic and social science
departments for East European Studies. Impeded by linguistic barriers, by
political sensitivities and in particular the absence of hard data during the
heyday of behavioralism, social scientists avoided this region.
The challenge to the area study approach came from a new generation of
scholars with a dual competence in a social science discipline and a Slavic
(mostly Russian) language. While few in number, this new generation also
benefited from the detente of the early 1970s, which partly revived social
sciences in a number of the communist countries, partly provided opportunities
for travel and scientific exchange programs. Yet, it was not until the early
1980s that this new generation of scholars had reached an academic age that
opened positions at major social science departments. This new trend became
institutionalized particularly at the Department of Political Science at the
University of Aarhus, and at the University Center of South Jutland. Here a
small group of people attached to the 'Institute of East-West Studies', had
worked since the early 1970s on economic and political issues related to the
East-West division and especially the detente process. The Copenhagen Peace
Research Institute (COPRI), established as an independent institute by the
Danish Parliament in 1985, also aimed at supporting and strengthening
multidisciplinary research on Peace and Security, contributed significantly to
East European Studies in their assigned field. Yet, when communism collapsed,
East European Studies in Denmark remained largely monopolized by the Slavonic
departments. This was to change radically in the 1990s.
East European Studies in the 1990s
The 1990s marked a significant shift in Danish East European Studies. While
the Slavonic departments maintained their area study focus, a number of social
science research institutions allocated substantial resources to the study of
Central and East European politics, societies and economies.
Among these especially the Department of Political Science at the University
of Aarhus,[26] has hosted a sizeable number of
major research programs related to developments in the former communist block.
This development was initiated with the appointment of a few junior scholars
specializing in Soviet Studies in the mid-1990s, and further augmented by a deep
involvement in a number of bilateral and EU funded technical assistance programs
on education and research in former communist countries. The research resulted
in a number of major research publications: on socio-political development in
Central Europe (Curt and Lene Sørensen); on Baltic Politics and Society (Ole Nørgaard
and Lars Johannsen); on Russian Foreign Policy (Mette Skak); on Russian legal
development (Karin Hilmer Petersen); on environmental policies in the Baltic
States (Ole Nørgaard and Karin Hilmer Pedersen); on constitutional development
in post-communist countries (Lars Johannsen), and on the interplay between
economic and political reforms (Ole Nørgaard). This research is being continued
in two major programs. One program managed by Curt Sørensen, on nation
building, mass politics, and cleavage structures in Central Europe, applies a
historical-sociological approach in an effort to improve our understanding of
politics in post-Communist Central Europe. Another program, 'Democracy, the
State and Administrative Reforms' managed by Ole Nørgaard, explores the
function and role of the state and state administration in fostering democracy
and economic development in the post-communist world.[27] The program combines statistical analyses with
macro-institutional and case studies. The comparative case studies focus on the
capacity of state administrations in the privatization of telecommunications and
agriculture.
During the 1990s the 'Institute of East-West Studies' at the University
Center of South Jutland maintained its focus on Central and Eastern Europe, and
made a number of important contributions in the field: on Russian domestic
politics (Jens-Jørgen Jensen and Märta-Lisa Magnusson); on Eastern Europe and
the EU (Finn Laursen and Søren Riishøj). In addition Märta-Lisa Magnusson
achieved international standing as a major expert in Russian regional politics,
in Caucasian politics and in particular in developments related to the conflict
in Chechnya. However, at the turn of the century the University Center of South
Jutland merged with the University of Odense to become the new University of
South Denmark. In that process the 'Institute of East-West Studies' was
dissolved and the staff integrated into the newly established Department of
Political Sciences at the new university.[28]
Yet, the research focus of the staff remains on Central and Eastern Europe, and
in particular on Russian European policy (Jens-Jørgen Jensen), Central European
politics and society (Lene Bøgh Søresen), political parties (Søren Riishøj),
and center-periphery conflicts and federalism in Russia (Märtha-Lisa Magnusson).
Turning to economic research, economists at Roskilde University Center[29] have made important contributions in the
field of political economy (Klaus Nielsen), environmental economy (Hans Aage),
and environmental law, regulation, and policy (Børge Klemmensen). A significant
development in Danish East European economic research was the establishment of
the Center for East European Studies (CEES)[30]
in 1996. Since the beginning of 2000 it has been affiliated with the Department
of International Business and Management. Directed by Niels Mygind, the Center
focuses its activities in particular on governance and enterprise restructuring,
on management in transition, and foreign investments in Eastern Europe.
Also the Slavonic Institutes maintain islands of social science research. The
Slavonic Department, University of Aarhus, hosts the leading Danish expert on
Czech politics (Peter Bugge) and a Ph.D. program comparing political cultures in
the Czech and Slovak republics.[31] At the
University of South Denmark, the Center for Russian and East European Studies[32] (Bent Jensen and Erik Kulvig) concentrates on
Danish-Russian relations and on internal developments in the former Soviet
Union, taking advantage of the newly opened archives. At the East European
Institute[33] of the University of Copenhagen
Niels Erik Rosenfelt has made important contributions to our understanding of
the power structures in the Soviet system, and younger scholars are engaged in
research on church-state relationships in Eastern Europe and on Russia-EU
relations.
Finally, two major research institutions are continuously engaged in research
related to domestic and international developments in Central and Eastern
Europe, but each with their own focus. The Danish Institute of International
Affairs (DUPI)[34] is an independent government
funded research institution established by statute in 1995. The institute's aim
is to strengthen Danish research, analysis and information activities on
international relations and Danish foreign policy. In that context, Central and
Eastern Europe obviously occupy a central position. Research at the institute is
ordinarily undertaken upon governmental or parliamentary request if they require
a thorough analysis of a specific topic. The focus is presently laid on three
main areas of research: the New World order, the organization of Europe, and
finally, Denmark's place in a new regional and international context. The
Copenhagen Peace Research Institute (COPRI)[35]
was established by the Danish Parliament in 1985 for the purpose of supporting
and strengthening multidisciplinary research on Peace and Security. Also here
research on Central and Eastern Europe has had an important position, and at
present the program on Security in the Nordic and Baltic Sea Area (NORD) in
particular provides important insights into the dynamics of the post-communist
countries in the Baltic region.
Concluding observations
Studies on Central and Eastern Europe (or Soviet Studies) in Denmark were
born out of the political necessities generated by the cold war. These needs
defined the research agenda and politics, framed the alternative perspectives on
the communist system - and the ensuing conflicts. In addition, during the 1980s
a new generation of researchers had made their way into academia, challenging
the traditional area studies tradition. All, of course, changed with the
collapse of the communist systems. With the disappearance of the old systems,
however, the expertise on those systems was outdated too. Some scholars
continued passionately to fight the battles of yesteryear - who had been right
about what and when. However, the field became open to a new cohort of social
scientists who used new and generally broader comparative methods and had
theoretically based perspectives on Central and Eastern Europe. In this process
the traditional strongholds of Central and Eastern European Studies (the
Slavonic departments) returned to cultural studies, to history or to languages,
and only a few maintained a social sciences based perspective on the region.
This role was instead taken over by major social science institutions, where a
growing group of younger scholars became engaged in 'transitionalogy', or
whatever became the label for those engaged in the study of the grand
transformation in post-communist countries. All the general social scientists
that have or are in the process of including Central and Eastern Europe into
broader comparative ventures are beyond the scope of this article. From a Danish
perspective, this seems, however, to be the general trend. The days of the East
European specialist are over. In the future, we will see East European Studies
becoming a 'normal' part of the social sciences - just as we hope and believe
that the post-Communist countries themselves will become normal societies.
Selected list of recent publications on Central and Eastern Europe by
Danish scholars[36]
* Aage, Hans: Environmental transition in Nordic and Baltic countries,
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 1998.
* Bugge, Peter: `Democracy and Parliament in Czech Politics', pp.
161-177 in Lene Bogh Sorensen and Leslie E. Eliason (eds.): Forward to the
Past: Continuity and Change in Political Development in Hungary, Austria and the
Czech and Slovak Republics, Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 1997.
* Bugge, Peter: Czech Perceptions of the Perspective of EU Membership:
Havel vs. Klaus, San Domenico di Fiesole,: European University Institute
Working Paper, RSC No. 2000/10, 55 p., 2000.
* Faurby, Ib in co-operation with Märta-Lisa Magnusson, `The battle (s) of
Groznyj', in: Baltic Defence Review, no. 2, 1989, pp. 75-87, Baltic
Defence College, Tartu.
* Friis, Lykke and Anna Murphy: EU Governance and Central and Eastern
Europe - Where are the Boundaries? HCM Occasional Paper 35, October 1997,
from the Danish Institute of International Affairs: http://www.dupi.dk.
* Friis, Lykke: Eastern Enlargement - A complex juggle (with Anna Murphy) in
M.G. Cowles and M. Smith (red.): Risks, Reforms, Resistance or Revival: The
State of the European Union (forthcoming 2000), from the Danish Institute of
International Affairs: http://www.dupi.dk.
* Hansen, Birthe and Bertel Heurlin, (red.), The Baltic States in World
Politics, Birthe Hansen, Bertel Heurlin, (red.), Surrey, Curzon, 1998
* Johannsen, Lars The Constitution and Democracy: The Choice and
Consequence of the Constitution in Post-Communist Countries, Aarhus:
Politica, 2000 forthcoming.
* Loees-Beck, Michael S. and Martin Paldam: Electoral Studies - Economics
and Elections, vol. 19, no. 2-3, June-Sept., 2000.
* Magnusson, Märta-Lisa: "The Failure of Conflict Prevention and
Management: The Case of Chechnya. Part 1: Conflict Assessment and Pre-war
Escalation." Paper presented at a Conference on `Conflict and Forced
Displacement in the Caucasus - Perspectives, Challenges and Responses', Danish
Refugee Council, Copenhagen Sept. 28th- 30th, 1998.
Published in Tom Trier & Lars Fuch, (eds.) Conflict and Forced
Displacement in the Caucasus. Copenhagen, Danish Refugee Council, 1999, pp.
62-71.
* Meyer, Klaus: Institutions, Transaction Costs and Entry Mode Choice in
Eastern Europe, working paper, electronic version: http://www.econ.cbs.dk/institutes/cees/pub/
download1.html,
2000.
* Mygind, Niels: Societies in Transition, electronic version: http://www.econ.cbs.dk/institutes/cees/pub/
sit/p1.html,
2000.
* Nielsen, Klaus: The Transformation Process in Eastern Europe. Economic
Reform, Social Conflict and Institutional Change, Research Report, 1997 (in
the process of extension and revision, to be published by Routledge, 2000).
* Nielsen, Klaus: Industrial Restructuring and Industrial Policy. The
Dynamics of Change of Industrial Policy in Central and Eastern Europe in
Response to Domestic Needs and External Requirements, Working Papers on
European Integration and Regime Formation, TKI, SUC, 42/98.
* Nørgaard, Ole and Lars Johannsen: The Baltic States after Independence,
Cheltenham: Edwin Elgar, 1999.
* Nørgaard, Ole: Economic Institutions and Democratic Reform. A
Comparative Analysis of Post-Communist Countries, Cheltenham: Edwin Elgar,
2000.
* Pedersen, Karin Hilmer: Rusland mod årtusindskiftet. Feudalstat,
retsstat, velfærdsstat, eller ...? [Russia towards the millennium: Feudal
State, Constitutional State, Welfare State or...?] Jurist- og Økonomforbundets
forlag, København, 1998.
* Petersen, Karin Hilmer: 'Political Parties in the Decision Making of the
Russian Federation' and "Postscriptum" in: Eckerberg and
Pedersen (eds.), Democracy's Dawn: Parliamentary Elections in North West
Russia, Umeå University, Research Report 1998.
* Riishøj, Søren and Finn Laursen: The EU and Central Europe - Status
and Prospects, Esbjerg: South Jutland University Press, 1996.
* Rosenfeldt, Niels Erik: "By the Grace of History - Political Language,
Ideology, and Legitimacy in Communist Regimes", En slavist i humanismens
tegn. Festskrift til Kristine Heltberg, Copenhagen 1994, pp. 155-67, from the
East European Institute (University of Copenhagen): http://www.hum.ku.dk/osteuro/medarb/
rosenfeldt.html.
* Rosenfeldt, Niels Erik: Stalin's Secret Chancellery and the Comintern,
Copenhagen 1991, at the East European Institute (University of Copenhagen): http://www.hum.ku.dk/osteuro/medarb/
rosenfeldt.html.
* Semjonov, Aleksei: Estonia: Nation Building and Integration. Political
and Legal Aspects, 8/2000, from the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute: http://www.copri.dk/menu/pumenu.htm.
* Skak, Mette, From Empire to Anarchy: Postcommunist Foreign Policy and
International Relations, London: Hurst , 1996
* Sørensen, Curt: 'The European Participation Crises: The Problem of
Democracy' in Erik Beukel et al. (eds.), Elites, Parties and Democracy,
Odense University Press, 1999.
* Sørensen, Lene Bøgh and Leslie B. Eliason: Forward to the past:
continuity and change in political development in Hungary, Austria, and the
Czech and Slovak Republics. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 1997.
* Sørensen, Lene Bøgh and Leslie B. Eliason (eds.): Facism, Liberalism
and Totalitarian Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, Aarhus: Aarhus
University Press (forthcoming).
* Zlatko, Isakovic: Democratization, Democracy and Ethnic Conflicts in the
Balkans, 9/2000, from the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute: http://www.copri.dk/menu/pumenu.htm.
[25] e-mail: on@ps.au.dk,
Tel.: +45-89-42 1334; fax: +45-86-13 9839
[26] http://www.ps.au.dk/
[27] http://www.demstar.dk/
[28] http://www.sam.sdu.dk/eindex.htm
[29] http://www.ruc.dk/
[30] http://www.econ.cbs.dk/institutes/cees/sider/
object.html
[31] http://www.au.dk/en/hum/slavisk/
[32] http://www.ou.dk/hum/studier/slavisk/index.html
[33] http://www.hum.ku.dk/osteuro/
[34] http://www.dupi.dk/
[35] http://www.copri.dk/
[36] Compiled by Luise Pape Møller.
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