EU in st. Petersburg

[Boris Briker]

My friends,

Anna Kushkova from European University in St. Petersburg asked me to send this letter to SEELANGSers.  BB


Dear Colleagues,



I've just had the opportunity to read Artemy Magun's letter of protest
and concern about the temporary (we hope) closing of the European
University. While we all understand the very serious difficulties that
the EU is currently experiencing, and all of us wish ferverently that
the EU will be reopen quickly, it is unlikely that the EU's cause will
be advanced through the kinds of political arguments Artemy advances.
Position the EU as a dissident organization will only further complicate
the situation. This is indeed a moment for strong appeals, but these
need to be made in terms of the damage to the closing of the EU will do
to Russian higher education. The St. Petersburg Association of
Sociologists has put the matter in just the right way: the University
plays a key role in the reproduction of the intellectual milieu in St.
Petersburg and Russia as a whole. It creates the unique possibility for
young Russian scholars to remain in their country rather than
emigrating. It has a superb research library and graduate program, and
plays a critical role in training the most promising young social
scientists and historians in a variety of subjects. These aspects of the
EU constitute a critical Russian resource, and they must be preserved in
the interest of the country as a whole.  It would be best, in our
judgment, for protests to be expressed in these terms.





Anna Kushkova

European University at St. Petersburg

Bill Rosenberg

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1003

tel: 734 769-3064  fax: 734 769-8829

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 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
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