Conferences

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On Sunday, 5 June 2016, as of 11.00 a.m., in the NTB Small Hall, the last conference of this season shall take place, held by Mr. Dan Dungaciu on the topic - „The Perfect Storm” in Europe. Towards a New Understanding Model of the European Crisis

About the Conference

„Europe is more than a geographical notion but less than an answer”. Tony Judt, 2011

Europe is nowadays in the vortex of the most dangerous crisis it has undergone since its foundation, and their intersection may cause an authentic „perfect storm”: Greece (an avoided Grexit in extremis, but without solving the structural issues); the economic crisis or the incapacity of the Eurozone to recover and to achieve a satisfactory economic growth; the aggression of Russia and the Ukraine file (Crimea and Donbas), the Syrian file and the massive and unprecedented crisis of immigrants / refugees; the potential Brexit (irrespective of the outcome, the Great Britain crisis cannot be soothed soon), resurrection of „populist” parties, on an identity and Eurosceptic formula towards a Europe wanting more prerogatives; the Turkish file with all the associated consequences, terrorism which has struck the very political and administrative centre of the continent.

Based on qualitative and quantitative sociological research, the conference attempts to bring order into these crisis strata, distinguishing between causes and effects in all disconcerting evolutions and identifying the nucleus of the crisis at the level of the precarious identity dimension of the European Union. The fact that we cannot say, with one voice, „We, the people”, like the Americans in their Constitution, alienates the EU not only from the United States of Europe, but also makes it incapable of responding – as a Europe! – to the challenges it undergoes. Dan Dungaciu

About Dan Dungaciu

Since 2009, he has been a university professor and dissertation supervisor at the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work of the Bucharest University (Sociology Chair). He is the coordinator of the Master Studies for Information Security and Analysis at the Bucharest University (Faculty of Sociology and Social Work), the oldest Master’s programme in Romania in the field (www.securitatesianaliza.ro). Since 2011, he has been the Director of the Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations of the „Ion I. C. Brătianu” Romanian Academy (www.ispri.ro). As of 2013, he is the President of the Black Sea University Foundation (www.fumn.eu), under the auspice of the Romanian Academy.

He studied or worked as an associate researcher in various Western institutions: Fernand Braudel Institute (Binghamton, USA), Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Study (Erfurt, Germany), Department of Political Science and Public Administration – Law, Economics and Political Sciences’ School of Athens (Athens, Greece), Central European University (Budapest, Hungary), Department of Social Sciences – Anglia Polytechnic University (Cambridge, Great Britain), Institute for Human Sciences (Vienna, Austria), Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (Halle, Germany), Triangle Research Centre (North Carolina, USA) etc. He participated in dozens of international congresses, conferences and relevant seminars.

In 2006-2007, he served as Sub-Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Department for Romanians Everywhere), and in the timeframe 2009-2010 he was an Advisor for issues of European integration to the President of the Republic of Moldova. He is a member of several international and national associations in the field.

He is the winner of several national and international prizes: the Dimitrie Gusti Award for Sociology of the Romanian Academy (1995); the International Prize for Sociology of the Istanbul University (2001); the State Award „Order of Honour” of the Republic of Moldova, bestowed by the President of the Republic of Moldova in December 2009; the Excellence Diploma of the Romanian Eastern Foundation of the Republic of Moldova (2015); „Author of the Year in the Republic of Moldova - 2006”, awarded by the Voice of Bessarabia radio station, Kishinev, for the volume “Moldova ante portas”, Tritonic Publishing House, Bucharest, 2005; the „Heart of Gold” Award for publishing activity on the topic of the Republic of Moldova, granted by the Foundation for Christian Democracy, Kishinev, 2005; the “Ion Chelcea” Award for young sociologists for 2005.

He was involved in and coordinated countless national and international projects. He is the author of dozens of expert studies, expert reports and over 25 relevant volumes, counting among the most recent: Is Bessarabia Romania? Identity and (Geo)political Dilemmas in the Republic of Moldova (2011), Elements for a Theory of the Nation and Nationalism (2012), Seven Fundamental Topics for Romania (2014), Encyclopaedia of International Relations (2015) etc. In 2015, he was co-opted at the level of the Romanian Academy onto the team of makers/ coordinators of the Romanian Development Strategy for the next 20 years (2015-2035), under the general coordination of the President of the Romanian Academy, Acad. Ionel-Valentin Vlad.

Translated by Simona Nichiteanu