Photo: Tina Gotthardt
23 participants from 12 countries met in Oslo in order to study democracies in their full spectrum. They wanted to discover what role political parties, governmental and nongovernmental organisations or institutions and the media play alongside the elected political institutions, and how political decisions as well as public opinions are formed and compromises are reached. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian constitution they also discussed the content and history of their own constitutions.
The program during week offered excursions and lectures as well as simulations, group discussions and meetings with experts. The group went to Eidsvoll, the place where the Norwegian constitution was formed and signed in 1814. Participants also got a tour of the the Norwegian Parliament by a member of the Conservative party and got an impression of the reality of politics in Norway. To complete this, the participants visited and interviewed representatives from different non-profit organisations about their roles in a democracy. The situation of minorities and the challenge to reach a consensus in politics stood in the centre of the simulation ‘Sleepyville’, where they simulated a town council meeting.
The attendance of the Europe@debate event on the topic of “New Social and Digital Media in the European Public Sphere” triggered a discussion about the role of the media in democratic societies.
The History Camp participants assembled their findings and experiences in daily blogposts about the seminar as well as in reports and other contributions for a seminar magazine that was published on the History Campus after the one-week program in Oslo.
A participant wrote his own report: www.historycampus.org/2014/09/16/concept-of-trust-in-norway/#more-898
Here you can find the seminar magazine: www.historycampus.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/History-Magazine.pdf
Here you can find the daily blogposts of the participants: www.eustory.wordpress.com