Stephane Courtois is one of the great historians of communism. A student and disciple of Annie Kriegel, he leads the Magazine “Communisme” and is a researcher with the CNRS – Paris. He co-ordinated the Black Book of Communism, which was tremendously successful (one million copies in 26 languages), determining and measuring the criminal role of red totalitarianism that has ninety million victims. The continuation of the Black Book of Communism, Du passé faisons table rase, recently published in Paris, is a compendium of prefaces and addendum of national editions (among which that to the Romanian edition printed in 1998).
Stephane Courtois was for the fourth time the rector of the Sighet Summer School. Moreover, he is a member in the Scientific Council of the International Center for Studies on Communism (which prepares the Sighet Memorial) and, at the same time, a great friend of the Civic Academy where he has been contributing from its very beginnings.
Courtois delivered this conference on the premises of the Civic Academy during his short stay in Bucharest, on his way to Sighet where he lead the sixth edition of the Summer School.
WHAT IS THE USE OF HISTORY IN POST-COMMUNIST TIMES
The role of the Sighet Memorial and Summer School
See the book „Courtois at Sighet” – lectures given and discussions led by Courtois on his four visits to the Sighet Memorial and the Study Centre in Bucharest.
