May 2, 2014
9:15 am–5:15 pm
Room 602, Hamilton Hall
After the chaos of World War II, East Central Europe experienced the imposition of a (corroded) utopian view of mankind and then its disintegration into dystopia, culminating in an invincible popular revolt symbolized by the toppling of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. The Fall of the Wall was accompanied by a new utopian dream of freedom of expression, political democracy, integration with the world, benign capitalism and consumer paradise; this also quickly devolved into dystopia. Twenty-five years later, this workshop examines how music and media reflect the tensions and representations of the years on both sides of the Fall of the Wall.
Sponsored by the East Central European Center, Harriman Institute, and Balassi Foundation
