Invitation to the symposium “From the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to the European Union”
Polnische Akademie der Wissenschaften – Wien/Polska Akademia Nauk – Wiedeń welcomes everyone interested in history, law and all kinds of considerations about political systems to take a part in symposium and listen to lectures on The Union of Lublin in 450th anniversary of the event.
Symposium date: December 14, 2019
Partners: Embassy of Lithuania in Vienna, Embassy of Poland in Vienna, University of Aberdeen, Institute for History and Institute for Eastern European History of the University of Vienna (to be confirmed)
Patrons: President of the Republic of Poland
Planned number of participants: 50–60
Planned number of papers: 10–15
Event description: The treaty on the union between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was signed on July 1, 1569 in Lublin. Two states under one ruler became one state, henceforth called the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. While this was not the only such union in Europe, the treaty gave rise to a political entity that lasted longer than any other, save for the unification of England and Scotland.
The Union of Lublin was also unique for bringing together two nations that were diverse in terms of both ethnicity and religion. Despite these difficulties, a stable political state was established. Explaining how this was achieved requires an in-depth legal, historical and philosophical reflection, the results of which could prove extremely useful in modern times.
The quest for unity has always been present in European history. However, the European Union, which is the expression of this aspiration, is going through a serious structural crisis. Understanding the essence of political union and the conditions of its permanence will perhaps allow us to develop legal and institutional solutions that could postpone the specter of destabilisation and permanently secure the development of states and societies.
The symposium and lecture series, planned for 2020, will include three thematic panels: a historical panel, a panel on contemporary collective memories of the nations of the union, and a political panel directed towards the future. Their aim will be to design innovative systemic solutions. An English-language, post-conference publication is planned.
Symposium program:
11:00–11:10 – guest welcoming and opening speech by prof. Arkadiusz Radwan (Polish Academy of Sciences)
11:10–11:40 – prof. Robert Frost, University of Aberdeen, topic: The Significance of the Union of Lublin: Past, Present, and Future
11:40–12:10 – prof. Christoph Garbowski, Maria Skłodowska-Curie University in Lublin, topic: Popular Sovereignty: The Question of Municipal Rights in the Polish- Lithuanian Commonwealth and of the Nation-State in the EU
12:10–12:40 – mgr Michał Rzeczycki, University of Warsaw, topic: The Union of Lublin as development of political culture
12:40–13:05 – dr Iurii Zazuliak, Institute of Ukrainian Studies, Center for Advanced Study Sofia, topic: From Mykhailo Hrushevskyi to Natalia Jakovenko and Back? Main Lines of Intepretations of Lublin Union in Ukrainian Modern Historiography
13:05–13:25 – cofee break
13:25–15:00 – debate with all speakers moderated by Cornelius Hell (t.b.c), journalist, essayist and Lithuanian literature expert
15:10 – formal end of symposium
15:30 – dinner
