H. Gordon Skilling: Life and Work

An international academic conference in Prague has been organized to mark the hundredth anniversary of the birth of H. Gordon Skilling, an outstanding scholar of Central and Eastern European studies, Professor of Political Science, and the first Director of the Centre for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Toronto.

Skilling’s Return to Prague:

The Work of H. Gordon Skilling in the Light of Contemporary Research

Skilling was not only a leading scholar of Czechoslovak history and politics, but, with his active involvement in the struggle for human rights, democracy and freedom in Czechoslovakia, he also left his mark indelibly on its history. In recognition of his work Skilling was granted an honorary doctorate from Charles University in 1990 and received from President Václav Havel the Order of the White Lion, the highest Czech decoration, in 1992.

The conference, initiated by the Czechoslovak Documentation Centre, Prague, will take place in the Klementinum (the opening session) and the Czernin Palais, Prague, on 27–29 May 2012, under the auspices of Karel Schwarzenberg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

The Work of H. Gordon Skilling in the Light of Contemporary Research

Among the participating institutions so far are

the Institute of Contemporary History (of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
the Institute of International Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University
the Institute of Political Science at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University
the Centre français de recherche en sciences sociales (CEFRES), Prague
the National Security Archive at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
the Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts (BISLA)
the Václav Havel Library (Prague)
the Charta 77 Foundation (Prague)
the National Museum in Prague
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
the National Library in Prague
the Ministry for Culture of the Czech Republic
the University of Toronto.

The Canadian Embassy in Prague has expressed its strong support for the project and has suggested avenues by which to pursue funding.

The conference will begin at 6.00 pm on Sunday, 27 May, for a general audience of as many as 250 people from academic and public life, making it a noteworthy cultural event in celebration of this great Canadian. The next two days will be devoted to the giving of the papers and their discussion. (The conference will close about 1.30 pm, on 29 May. The private view of an exhibition devoted to Skilling will take place later in the afternoon.)

The title of the conference reflects the central aim of discussing contemporary research related to the main topics that Skilling himself primarily focused on. In other words, it seeks to provide a reassessment of Skilling's achievements in the light of contemporary research; the fruits of his work in different fields, very often not based on primary sources (because they were unavailable at that time), compared with the results of research by scholars today.

The main topics/panels of the conference

The current state of research on the Soviet Union and the Soviet-type political system.
A typology of reform movements in the countries of the Soviet bloc, with an emphasis on the Czechoslovak attempt at reform, which was cut short in August 1968.
A typology of non-democratic systems, and Skilling’s contribution to it.
Dissent, independent civil initiatives, human rights movement and their part on the road to the democratic revolutions of 1989/90.
The study of the works and legacy of Thomas Garrigue Masaryk.

Other topics for the conference include

Skilling and his relationship with Slovakia and some episodes from the life of Gordon and his wife Sally as well.

The edited conference papers will be published in a volume or, depending on funding, on a specially dedicated website, together with other documents and materials.

An exhibition of the life and works of H. Gordon Skilling and his relations with Czechoslovakia will be held to accompany the conference. (To be opened on 29 May.)

The Petro Jacyk Central & East European Resource Centre at the University of Toronto Library have recently compiled a complete bibliography of Skilling’s works which we publish with kind permission of its author, Ksenya Kiebuzinski.

Czech Television is planning a documentary film about H. Gordon Skilling. It will be made by the historian and political scientist Lukáš Přibyl, who is well known for his highly acclaimed series of documentary films Forgotten Transports. The Skilling film will be completed in spring 2013. This May, Czech Television (ČT2) will also devote an evening to Skilling as part of its historie.cs series.

Vilém Prečan
Chairman of the Board
Czechoslovak Documentation Centre