The 6th NEST-Conference on Totalitarianism and Democracy:
The Power of the Powerless Today:
Anti-totalitarianism After 1989
Date: 4-5 November 2014
Venues:
November 4th: Freedom of Expression Foundation, Uranienborgveien 2
November 5th: Professorboligen, Karl Johans gate 47, The University of Oslo
Although the point of departure for this conference/workshop is the 25th anniversary of the
Fall of the Berlin Wall in East-Central Europe, the main highlight will be on the anatomy of
the existing “walls” - real and imaginary, malign and benign - between societies and tribes
today. Can they – and should they – be overcome? If yes, how?
The conference will be a brainstorming of scholars, thinkers and journalists from countries
like Poland, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Ukraine, Syria and China. Some of the questions that we would
like to critically illuminate include:
- How relevant are the experiences from the non-violent revolution in Eastern Europe for the
ongoing struggle for democracy in countries like Egypt, Iraq, Iran, China, Syria and Ukraine?
-What is the relationship between religion and politics in the strategies of anti-totalitarian
resistance, and in transcending existing boundaries between people?
-What are the challenges faced by female journalists and writers in modern dictatorships?
What are their ethical dilemmas?
-What is the role of women/feminism in the democratic movements in Africa and Asia? Will
the future revolution have a female face?
- What can we learn from the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989? What should we unlearn?
PROGRAM
Tuesday November 4th
(Fritt Ord, Uranienborgveien 2)
10:00 Welcome
10:15 Nina Witoszek: 1989 and Eastern Europe in Context
10:30 Erik Rudeng: The Fritt Ord Foundation and 1989
11:00 Coffee break
11:15 Masoumeh Alinejad: Iranian Women’s Stealthy Freedoms
11:50 Oksana Forostyna: The Powerless in Power: 25 Years of the Ukrainian Journey
12:30 Walid al-Kubaisi: The Fairy Tale of the Arab Spring: Is there Anything to Learn?
13:00 Lunch break
15:00 Jung Chang: How to Resist Brainwashing: Personal Reflections
16:00 Panel discussion
17:00 Questions and comments
18:00 End
Wednesday November 5th
(Professorboligen, Karl Johans gate 47)
09:00 Welcome by Ole Petter Ottersen, Rector of the University of Oslo
09:10 Short introductions by Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Farhat Taj, Lars Gule,
Masoumeh Alinejad, Jung Chang and others.
10:10 Nina Witoszek: Introduction to panel discussion
10:15 Coffee break
10:30 Discussion
11:30 Questions and comments
12:00 End
The conference is organized by the Network for the Studies of Totalitarianism (NEST) at the
University of Oslo, and is supported by the University of Oslo, The Democracy Program at
the University of Oslo and the Fritt Ord Foundation.
The conference will be held in English both days. Admission is free.
About the speakers
Masih Alinejad
Iransk journalist, forfatter og dissident. Tidligere parlamentsmedlem i Iran. Flyktet da
regimet slo brutalt ned på folkeprotestene etter presidentvalget i 2009. Bor i eksil i London,
og bruker sosiale medier som Facebook for å utfordre det undertrykkende styret i sitt
hjemland.
Oksana Forostyna
Ukrainsk journalist og forfatter. Redaktør i tidsskriftet Krytyka. Aktiv i folkebevegelsen som
felte Viktor Janukovytsj´ regjering i februar 2014.
Jung Chang
Verdenskjent kinesisk-britisk forfatter. Hennes selvbiografiske familiedrama Vilde Svaner
(1991) har solgt over 10 millioner eksemplarer internasjonalt, men er forbudt i hjemlandet
Kina. Hun har også krevet den kritikerroste biografien Mao - Den ukjente historien. Chang
bor i dag i London.
Walid al-Kubaisi
Norsk-irakisk forfatter og dokumentarfilmskaper. Kom til Norge som flyktning fra Saddam
Husseins Irak. Har markert seg som en skarp kritiker av moderne islamisme, og laget
dokumentarfilmen Frihet, likhet og Det muslimske brorskap (2010).
Erik Rudeng
Norsk forfatter og forsker. Sentral aktør i norsk samfunnsliv gjennom flere tiår. Var
administrerende direktør i stiftelsen Fritt Ord fram til 2014.