Conference Program

In democracies which have emerged after authoritarianism development of new elites is a part of the process of transformation. We can observe certain stages in that process. At first there is concern about the role of the outgoing authoritarian elites in the new system and a plan for their replacement. It is followed by the search for the new elites, naturally coming from the amateur ranks of “democratic” opposition. Then we witness the process of professionalization of the new elites. This professionalization usually means a second replacement, this time the first generation of new democratically elected elites leaves the stage replaced by policy entrepreneurs who treat civic values instrumentally. In the background of this process of elite replacements we witness the gradual fading of the civic values from the aspirational role as noble alternatives to the authoritarian rule, to the role of a façade covering brutal power games over narrow interests. It might be said that when it comes to the significance and usage of civic values among the political elites the process of democratic transformation resembles that of semantic forgetting till it reaches the stage of civic amnesia. The process of civic forgetting has its spillover effect into the sphere of civic education of young people who become new political cadres. The purpose of this text is to describe the stages and scope of civic forgetting, explain its causes and consequences for the character and prospects of new post-authoritarian democracy.