The honorary doctorate will recognize not only more than thirty years of academic and journalistic work of Professor Garton Ash, but also his social attitudes, which are an inspiring and important voice for Central and Eastern Europe’s future direction, especially in the difficult period the regions are going through.
The doctoral honoris causa conferral ceremony will take place on Thursday, 9. 10., at 2:00 pm in the Great Hall of the Carolinum building, located in Ovocný trh 3, Praha 1.
“Timothy Garton Ash has contributed greatly to our understanding of the history of Central and Eastern Europe in the 20th century; his work has built a bridge between academic research and public debate on transformation, the nature of democracy, and freedom of speech and thought. Particular recognition should be given to the way in which he has linked accounts of eyewitnesses with historical reflection on the 1989 ‘magical year’ and made these experiences accessible not only to the learned experts, but to the general public as well. His books have become an integral part of understanding the dramatic historical changes that Central Europe has undergone in recent decades,” said Jan Koura, historian and Vice-Dean for Information Resources at CU FA.
Timothy Garton Ash has close ties to the Czech academic community. He has lectured several times at Charles University, most recently in 2022 at the Faculty of Arts on the topic “From Post-War Europe to Post-Wall Europe – and Back”. He is actively involved in developing and deepening academic cooperation between British and Central European institutions. He is a member of the Academic Council of the Centre for Philosophy, Ethics and Religion belonging to the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at CU FA. In this position, he works with academics from Charles University to promote research on issues linking political philosophy, ethics, and religion, as well as the promoting development of academic exchange between Charles University and the University of Oxford.
Several student and academic exchanges have taken place in recent years between the Faculty of Arts of Charles University and the University of Oxford, Professor Garton Ash’s home institution. Timothy Garton Ash has always been helpful in consulting with academics and students not only from the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, but also from other faculties of Charles University coming to the University of Oxford.
The values promoted by Professor Garton Ash, which include in particular the defence of liberal democracy, freedom of expression, and respect for the rights of others, are also the foundation of Charles University.
Timothy Garton Ash
Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford
- His work focuses primarily on modern and contemporary history in Central and Eastern Europe, with topics including the 1989 revolution and the transformation of former Eastern Bloc countries.
- He has received numerous awards for his literary work, including the David Watt Memorial Prize, the Premio Napoli, the Imre Nagy Memorial Plaque, the Hoffmann von Fallersleben Prize for political literature, the Order of Merit of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, and the British CMG. In 2006, he was awarded the George Orwell Prize for political literature and in 2017 the Charlemagne Prize for his contribution to European unity.
