Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies

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Adolphus Busch Hall, home of the center

The Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES) is a center at Harvard University dedicated to the study, understanding, and promotion of European affairs and transatlantic relations. Founded in 1969, the center focuses on interdisciplinary scholarship in social, political, historical, and cultural dimensions of Europe. It has hosted notable political and scholarly personalities, established partnerships with institutions worldwide, hosted dozens of visiting researchers, and run programs, seminars, events, and issued publications.

History[edit]

Originally founded as "West European Studies" in 1969, the Center for European Studies (CES) at Harvard evolved from two prior initiatives, the "German Research Program" initiated by Henry Kissinger,[1] at the time Harvard faculty member, and a "West European Studies" seminar run professor Stanley Hoffmann and his student assistant Guido Goldman.[2] The proposal by professors Hoffmann, David Landes, and Laurence Wylie to the Ford Foundation to fund European academics' visits to Harvard was one of the key milestones in the development of the center.[2] In the center's initial years, Goldman served as the center's director,[3] and Hoffman was the chairman.[4] Goldman and Hoffman are seen as founders of the center.[5][2] In 1978, twelve members of the Center published a letter in The New York Times criticizing Kissinger for his statements about the threat of communism.[6]

In 1986, with a $10 million donation by Baron Alain de Gunzburg and his family that controlled the Seagram Company, the Center was named after his sister Baroness Aileen Mindel "Minda" Bronfman de Gunzburg (1925-1985),[7] the wife of a prominent French banker and industrialist.[8] A year earlier she had died of cancer.[8] She was the daughter of millionaires Saidye and Samuel Bronfman.[8][9]

In 1989, the Center for European Studies transitioned into its new permanent location at Adolphus Busch Hall[10] (originally home to Harvard's Germanic Museum, which later became known as the Busch-Reisinger Museum[10][11]). This relocation was celebrated with a conference featuring European Commission President Jacques Delors. The building formerly housed the Busch-Reisinger Museum, a component of Harvard Art Museum.

The move was facilitated by two significant developments. First, the Fogg Art Museum's expansion allowed the German art collection to be relocated, ensuring its better preservation within the newly consolidated Harvard Art Museums.[2] Goldman, CES director from 1969 to 1994 and a close family friend, noted the crucial role of the de Gunzburgs' support in securing the center's future.[2]

The Center incorporated a larger number of faculty, students, and scholars. By 1996–97, it hosted 18 senior faculty, 10 junior faculty, 26 visiting scholars, 47 affiliates, and 52 graduate students.[2]

Goldman raised over 75 million dollars for the Center and the Harvard university from the German government, German and American corporations, and other sources which donated large sums to bolster ties between Europe and the United States.[1][12]

Grzegorz Ekiert, professor of government at Harvard, serves as the center's director.[13] Elaine Papoulias has been the executive director since 2013.[14] In September 2023, Daniel Ziblatt was named the new director, to start in January 2024.[15]

Faculty and fellows[edit]

As of 2023, the Center's resident faculty are Grzegorz Ekiert, Alison Frank Johnson, Peter E. Gordon, Peter A. Hall [de], Patrice Higonnet, Maya Jasanoff, Hans-Helmut Kotz, Mary D. Lewis, Charles S. Maier, Derek J. Penslar, David Spreen, and Daniel Ziblatt. Faculty associates include Alberto Abadie, Rawi E. Abdelal, Daron Acemoglu, James Alt, David Armitage, Jacqueline Bhabha, Sven Beckert, Jason Beckfield, Suzanne Berger, Manja Klemenčič, and Pippa Norris. Senior fellows and affiliates include Jutta Allmendinger, Nicolas Berggruen, Mark Franklin, Sigmar Gabriel, Anna Grzymała-Busse, Michael Ignatieff, Louise Richardson, Radosław Sikorski, Paul Tucker, and Joseph H.H. Weiler.[16][17]

Notable speakers[edit]

Notable speakers hosted by the Center in its first years included Jacques Delors, Christiane Lemke, Andreas Buschner, Sigmar Gabriel, and Miriam Meckel.[2]

The center has hosted presidents, prime ministers, other prominent politicians, and distinguished scholars and personalities. Some of them are Roberta Metsola,[18] Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya,[18] and Radek Sikorski[19] Several of the center's affiliates, including Alexander Görlach, have been frequent contributors to The New York Times.[20][21][22][23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Guido Goldman, Co-Founder of Center for European Studies, Dies at 83". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Goldhamer, Arthur; Naderi, Gila (2019). History of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. Harvard University.
  3. ^ Marquard, Bryan (December 22, 2020). "Guido Goldman, a connector of nations and people, dies at 83". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  4. ^ Pear, Robert (July 23, 1989). "U.S. Jews Organize to Urge Israel-P.L.O. Talks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Goldhammer, Arthur (September 14, 2015). "Stanley Hoffmann Was One of the Great Professors of Our Time". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "Letters". The New York Times. January 27, 1978. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "Aileen Mindel ('Minda') Bronfman de Gunzburg, Baroness Gunzburg - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Fowler, Glenn (July 2, 1985). "AILEEN DE GUNZBURG, BRONFMAN HEIRESS, DIES IN PARIS AT 60". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  9. ^ "Minda Bronfman de Gunzburg | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Siliezar, Juan (May 21, 2019). "The deep connections between Harvard and Germany". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Harvard Gazette: Busch-Reisinger marks a century". September 1, 2006. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  12. ^ Reinhold, Robert (June 9, 1974). "Krupp Gives Harvard 2‐Million To Bolster U.S.‐European Ties". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  13. ^ "Challenge for V4 to avoid ending on periphery of changing EU, says Harvard's Grzegorz Ekiert". Radio Prague International. June 27, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  14. ^ "'Europe means cosmopolitanism, openness' | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  15. ^ "Daniel Ziblatt Named New Director of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for…". Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  16. ^ "Resident Faculty". Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  17. ^ "Senior Fellows". Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Belarus Opposition Leader, European Parliament President Reaffirm Support for Ukraine at Harvard IOP Forum | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  19. ^ "Harvard academic witnessed part of London attacks". BostonGlobe.com. The Associated Press. March 22, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  20. ^ Görlach, Alexander (September 27, 2016). "Opinion | Germany's Retrograde Record on Gay Rights". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  21. ^ Green, Peter S. (June 19, 2000). "Exasperated EU Candidates Insist on Date for Entry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  22. ^ Görlach, Alexander (April 3, 2017). "Opinion | Germany's War Over a Word". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  23. ^ Görlach, Alexander (December 15, 2016). "Opinion | Why Islam Gets Second-Class Status in Germany". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
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