Gesine Schwan

Infobox President
name = Gesine Schwan

---

imagesize = 200px
order = President of the Viadrina European University
term_start = 1 October 1999
term_end = 30 September 2008
predecessor = Hans Weiler
successor = Gunter Pleuger
birth_date = birth date and age|1943|5|22
birth_place = Berlin
death_date =
death_place =
alma_mater = Free University of Berlin
University of Freiburg
spouse = Alexander Schwan (died 1989)
Peter Eigen (since 2004)
profession = Political scientist
party = SPD
religion = Roman Catholic

Gesine Schwan (born 22 May 1943) is a German political science professor and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. This party has nominated her twice as a candidate for the federal presidential elections. On 23 May 2004, she was defeated by the Christian Democrat and current president Horst Köhler. On 23 May 2009, both will compete again for this position.cite web
last = Abramsohn
first = Jennifer
title = Presidency Dispute Deepens Rift in Merkel's Coalition
publisher = Deutsche Welle
date = 2008-05-27
url = http://www.openeurope.org.uk/research/mainfindings.pdf
accessdate = 2008-08-01|format=PDF]

Personal life

Born in Berlin on 22 May 1943, Schwan was baptized in catholic faith [cite web| last = Polzar | first = Wolfgang | title = German Evangelical elected President | publisher = Spero News | date = 2004-05-25 | url = http://www.speroforum.com/site/print.asp?idarticle=586 | accessdate = 2008-06-22] as the daughter of "Oberschulrat" (Senior School Inspector) Hans R. Schneider. During the "Third Reich" dictatorship her parents were members of the passive resistance,cite web
title = Gesine Schwan: Biografie
publisher = Who's Who. The People-Lexicon.
url = http://www.whoswho.de/templ/te_bio.php?PID=2086&RID=1
accessdate = 2008-07-21de icon] offering protection to Jewish girl by hiding her. After WWII, the family engaged actively in the reconciliation of the .

In 1969, Schwan married her first husband, professor Alexander Schwan, with whom she has two children and who died in 1989. In 2004, Gesine Schwan celebrated her second wedding with longtime companion Peter Eigen in Berlin. He is known as a former World Bank manager as well as founder and current Chair of the Advisory Council of Transparency International.

Academic life

Education

In 1962, Schwan graduated ("Abitur") from the bilingual Französisches Gymnasium, a private French secondary school in Berlin. In the same year, she entered academia by starting her studies in history, philosophy, romance languages, and political science. As a student she was registered first at Free University of Berlin (FU Berlin) and later at University of Freiburg.cite web
last = Schwan
first = Gesine
title = Curriculum Vitae
publisher = Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)
url=http://www.euv-frankfurt-o.de/de/struktur/unileitung/praesidentin/curriculum_vitae/CV_ENG_Prof__Dr__Gesine_Schwan_12_05.pdf
format = PDF
accessdate = 2008-06-22]

Early career

After research stays in Warsaw and Krakow, she obtained her Ph.D. in 1970 from FU Berlin for a dissertation on the Polish philosopher Leszek Kolakowski.cite book
last = Schwan
first = Gesine
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Leszek Kolakowski. A Political Philosophy of Liberty according to Marx.
publisher =
year = 1971
location = Stuttgart/Berlin/Köln
pages =
id =
isbn = ] After her promotion she became assistant professor at the same university. Here she continued her works on the critique of Marxcite book
last = Schwan
first = Gesine
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = The Social Critique of Karl Marx. Philosophical and Economical Bases.
publisher =
year = 1974
location = Stuttgart/Berlin/Köln/Mainz
pages =
id =
isbn = ] for which she received the "habilitation" qualification in 1975.

Professorship

Schwan was appointed full professor at the Department of Political Science at FU Berlin in 1977. At the time, her research fields encompassed "political theory, philosophy, psychology, and culture" as well as "theories of democracy and socialism". In 1980/81, she had a research stay at the Wilson Center for Scholars in the USA; another research stay in 1984 at the Robinson College at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; in 1998 she was appointed visiting professor at the New School for Social Research in New York. From 1993–1995, she was dean of the Political Science Faculty at FU Berlin.

In 1999, Gesine Schwan competed for the post of president of FU Berlin but was beaten by Peter Gaehtgens. In the same year, she was elected into her current position as the president of Viadrina European University in Frankfurt (Oder). [cite web | title = Press Review
work = Iraq-based Poles to up and leave
publisher = Polskie Radio
date = 2008-06-09
url = http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/news/artykul84384.html
accessdate = 2008-06-22]

Political life

Schwan belongs to the German tradition of social democratic opposition to Karl Marx theories. In September 1974, she became one of the founding members of the "Seeheimer Kreis", a conservative think tank within the SPD.cite web
coauthors = Johannes Kahrs und Sandra Viehbeck
title = In der Mitte der Partei: Gründung, Geschichte und Wirken des Seeheimer Kreises
publisher = Die Seeheimer e.V., Berlin
year = 2005
url = http://www.seeheimer-kreis.de/wir_ueber_uns/seeheim_chronik/elements/elem_004/download
format = PDF
accessdate = 2008-07-21de icon] She became a member of the SPD "Grundwertekommission" (Commission for Fundamental Values) in 1977. In 1984, she was removed from this position after adverting the party's "Ostpolitik" for being too cozy with communist regimes and not engaging with dissidents. [cite web
last = Vickrey
first = David
title = Fascinating Woman: Gesine Schwan
work = German-American opinion: Politics and culture
publisher = Dialog International
date = 2008-05-28
url = http://www.dialoginternational.com/dialog_international/2008/05/fascinating-wom.html
accessdate = 2008-06-22] Rather she sought for support and dialog with those Eastern Europeans who would dare to criticize their governments. [cite web | title = Germany's President Köhler Wants a Second Term
publisher = Spiegel Online
date = 2008-05-22
url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,554875,00.html
accessdate = 2008-06-22] Schwan was reinstated in the "Grundwertekommission" in 1996. Since 2002, she presides the "German-Polish Forum" together with Janusz Reiter. In January 2005, the German government under Gerhard Schröder installed her as the "Co-ordinator of the Federal Government for Civil Social Cooperation near to the Republic of Poland". She retained this position when the government changed to become headed by Christ Democrat Angela Merkel.

Presidential elections

On 23 May 2004, Gesine Schwan was the SPD candidate for the German presidential elections. She received 589 votes in the "Bundesversammlung" (Federal Assembly) but was defeated by Horst Köhler who won 604 votes from the 1205 delegates.cite web
title = Rulers: May 2004
publisher = B. Schemmel
url = http://rulers.org/2004-05.html
accessdate = 2008-08-01] On 26 May 2008, SPD chairman Kurt Beck announced Schwan's renewed nomination for the upcoming presidential elections in 2009.cite web
coauthors = Spiegel Staff
title = Presidency Row Deepens Rift in Merkel's Coalition
work = Letter from Berlin
publisher = Spiegel Online
date = 2008-05-26
url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,555456,00.html
accessdate = 2008-08-01] Once again she will compete with Horst Köhler, who announced his repeated candidacy on 22 May 2008.cite web
title = Koehler announces second presidential bid
publisher = IRNA
date = 2008-05-22
url = http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-16/0805223822200615.htm
accessdate = 2008-08-01]

List of works

*"Die Gesellschaftskritik von Karl Marx. Philosophische und politökonomische Voraussetzungen", 1974
*"Sozialismus in der Demokratie? Theorie einer konsequent sozialdemokratischen Politik", 1982
*"Politik und Schuld. Die zerstörerische Macht des Schweigens", 1997. ISBN 3-596-13404-8
*"Antikommunismus und Antiamerikanismus in Deutschland. Kontinuität und Wandel nach 1945", 1999

Awards and honors

* 1993 Federal cross of merits ("Bundesverdienstkreuz")
* 1999 Urania-Medal Award for "Particular Activities in the Scientific National Education"
* 2002 1st Class Cross of Merits Award of the Medal of Merits of the Federal Republic of Germany ("Bundesverdienstkreuz erster Klasse")
* 2004 Marion Dönhoff Award for "International Agreement and Conciliation"
* 2006 Honorary doctor of the European University Institute, Florencecite web
coauthors = Stefano Bartolini et al.
title = Thirty Years: A European Journey
work = EUI review
publisher = European University Institute, Badia Fiesolana
date = 2006-11
url = http://www.eui.eu/PUB/EUIReviewPDF/EUIRev_Autumn2006.pdf
format = PDF
accessdate = 2008-06-25]

References