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Eastern and Southern European Dissent and its International Networks

Sun, November 24, 10:00 to 11:45am, San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Floor: 4, Pacific D

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

The panel presents two forms of protest against communist dictatorship in Eastern and Southern Europe: the written word (artistic fiction or journalistic writing) and dissident action (acts of mutual support and protest against persecution). The Serbian writer and anti-communist dissident Miloš Crnjanski put his trust in the written word and the power of art. The fact that he is considered today as one of the major Serbian writers seems to confirm his choice. Mutual support of dissidents within the Eastern Bloc through concrete action constitutes a vital chapter of the history of dissent. All dissidents were acutely aware of their dependence on international media, especially the Western ones. Their attention and support was indeed vital for the existence of the dissident movements. Moreover, the lives of imprisoned dissidents were often determined on the rapidity and strength of media reaction and their capacity to produce large international protest response. The panel thus also explores this complex relationship between international media and the dissident movement.

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