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The Iron Curtain Then and Now: Timothy Phillips in Conversation with Bill Bowring

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Venue: Birkbeck 43 Gordon Square

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Tim Phillips talks to Birkbeck’s Bill Bowring about his book, The Curtain and the Wall (Granta, 2022) and his experiences of walking the route of the Iron Curtain and meeting the people whose lives have been shaped by the its presence.

In this event author Tim Phillips talks to Birkbeck’s Bill Bowring about his book, The Curtain and the Wall (Granta, 2022) and his experiences of walking the route of the Iron Curtain and meeting the people whose lives have been shaped by the its presence.

The Iron Curtain divided the continent of Europe, north to south, with the Berlin Wall as its most visible, infamous manifestation. Since the Cold War ended and these borders came down, Europe has transformed itself. New generations have grown up, freed from the tensions and restrictions of the past. But what do the Curtain and the Wall mean today? What has happened to the people and places they divided? What have they left in their wake?

Timothy Phillips is the author of three books, Beslan (2008), The Secret Twenties (2017) and The Curtain and The Wall (2022), all published by Granta Books. He grew up in Northern Ireland and now lives in London. He holds a doctorate in Russian from Oxford University and has written and spoken widely on British, Russian and Eastern European history.

Professor Bill Bowring teaches human rights and international law at Birkbeck College, University of London. A practising barrister since 1974, he has represented applicants at the European Court of Human Rights since 1992, especially against Turkey and Russia. He has acted as a consultant and expert for the United Nations, Council of Europe, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), European Union and the UK Government. He founded in 2003 the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC). He has over 150 publications including monographs, edited collections, chapters, and articles. His recent book is Law, Rights and Ideology in Russia: Landmarks in the Destiny of a Great Power (Routledge 2013). In 2017 he was awarded a Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) for his work on Russia.

 

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