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Events >> The Democratic Invention Lecture Series
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The 1997-1998 lecture series The Democratic Invention honored Portugal's role in initiating the contemporary wave of democratic transitions. The program, cosponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy's International Forum for Democratic Studies, the Mário Soares Foundation, and the Luso-American Development Foundation and hosted by George Washington University, explored the nature and prospects of democracy and strengthened ties between Portugal and the United States.
Lectures were held monthly at the George Washington University Club from September 1997 to December 1998. Special thanks to the Luso-American Development Foundation; the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation; President Stephen Trachtenberg, The George Washington University; Lehman Brothers; and Ford Motor Company. Purchace the book at Johns Hopkins Unversity Press. 
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 Photo taken at the Series Kick-off Meeting in Portugal. Seymour Martin Lipset, September 15, 1997 Hazel Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, USA "George Washington and the Founding of American Democracy" Professor Lipset is an eminent scholar of democracy both in the United States and around the world. He is the author of Political Man, The First New Nation and, most recently, American Exceptionalism. Gertrude Himmelfarb, October 6, 1997 Professor Emeritus of History, Graduate School of the City University of New York, USA "Democratic Remedies for Democratic Disorders" Historian Gertrude Himmelfarb is a leading authority on Victorian England and a widely published critic on contemporary social and cultural affairs. Her most recent book is On Looking into the Abyss: Untimely Thoughts on Culture and Society. François Furet, November 3, 1997 Institut Raymond Aron, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, France "Democracy and Utopia" (To be delivered in memoriam) The late François Furet, whose historical writings transformed contemporary views of the French Revolution, was also one of the foremost analysts of communism in our own time. Bronislaw Geremek, December 8, 1997 Member of Parliament, Union for Freedom, Poland "Postcommunism and Democracy in Central Europe" A distinguished medieval historian who became a prominent Solidarity activist, Bronislaw Geremek currently chairs the foreign affairs committee of the Polish parliament. Andrea Riccardi, February 9, 1998 President, The Community of St. Egidio, Italy "Democracy, Solidarity, and Peace: The Experience of the Community of St. Egidio" Andrea Riccardi is the founder of the Community of St. Egidio, a lay Catholic NGO that received the 1997 World Methodist Peace Award for its success in brokering the 1992 Mozambican Peace Accord, of which Professor Riccardi was one of four mediators. The Community's work focuses on promoting dialogue, humanitarian service, and conflict mediation in such strife-torn areas as Albania, Kosovo, Algeria, Burundi, and Guatemala. Diogo Freitas do Amaral, April 6, 1998 Professor of Political Science, University of Lisbon, Portugal "The Portuguese Transition to Democracy" As a founder and leader of one of Portugal's four major political parties, the Portuguese Christian Democratic Party, Diogo Freitas do Amaral played an instrumental role in establishing democracy in his country. He was President of the United Nations General Assembly during 1995–96. Fatima Mernissi, March 9, 1998 Professor of Sociology, Institut Universitaire de Recherche Scientifique, Université Mohamed V, Morocco "Nurturing Civil Society in the Arab World: The Case of Morocco" One of Morocco's leading advocates of women's rights in the Arab-Muslim community, Fatima Mernissi is a sociologist, writer, and respected commentator on international women's issues. She is the author of many books including Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood and Islam and Democracy. Jean Daniel, May 11, 1998 Editor, Le Nouvel Observateur, France "Nation and Democracy" Jean Daniel, a long-standing member of the High Council on the French Language, is currently administrator of the museum of the "Grand Louvre" and is one of France's most distinguished writers, journalists, and editors. France has honored him with four high awards, including the Cross of War/39-45. Alfred Stepan, November 2, 1998 Gladstone Professor of Government, Oxford University Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford "Federalism and Democracy" Considered one of the leading international authorities on transitions to democracy, Professor Stepan is the author of numerous books and articles on this theme. He was elected in 1991 to the Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a member of the Boards of Directors of many institutions, including the Open Society Institute. He was President and Rector of the Central European University in Budapest and Prague from 1993 to 1996. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, November 10, 1998 "Asian Values and Democracy" The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, fled Tibet from Chinese aggression into exile in 1959. In the tradition of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama has become one of the world's great exponents of non-violence. For this, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Mário Soares, December 1, 1998 Mário Soares Foundation "The Democratic Invention" As president of Portugal from 1986 until his retirement from politics in 1996, Mário Soares not only presided over the consolidation of Portugal's democracy, but also established a standard of moral leadership that won esteem throughout the international community. |
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