April 2013 – Conference 3:
Comparative Politics of Identity in the European Union This conference will explore models of identity politics, with a focus on ethnicity, race, and religion, in the EU, as well as in the US. In the broadest sense, the conference will draw on scholars and practitioners from a range of disciplines and professionals from both Europe and the US in an effort to examine and compare models of state policy and political engagement as related to issues of identity. More specifically, we will see how widely divergent state policies translate into differing modes of political engagement by ethnic, religious, and other social groupings in these various contexts. Participants will address such questions as: how effective are American, Western or Eastern models or structures of political participation by ethnic or religious groups in ameliorating tensions among majority/minority populations? From the point of view of minority populations, which models have allowed for the greatest latitude in preserving ethnic or religious identities through education, media, etc.? Finally, which state or grass roots models of political involvement tend to provoke minority or majority radicalism or tensions between various constituents? In short, the American melting pot model, as well as model of grass roots political engagement, will provide a point of comparison for the very different models that continue to evolve in the European setting, particularly as it expands East into contexts where historical and contemporary models are quite different.
Proposed 13 participants: From UT and Austin:
Rob Moser, UT Government Department
Zoltan Barany, UT Government Department
Mary Neuburger, UT History Department
Marko Papic, Stratfor
EU Participants
Member of the EU Commission, preferably from the office of Viviane Reding, DG Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship.
Member of the EU Commission from the office of Stefan Fule, DG Enlargement
Dr. David Chadwick, University of Kent
Thomas Risse, Freie Universitat Berlin
Patrick Simon, INED (Institut National d'Etudes Demographiques).
US Participants:
Mathias Kaelberer, University of Memphis
Benjamin Cohen, UC Santa Barbara
Benedict Anderson, Cornell University
Two policy-makers from the U.S. State Department with experience in European affairs.