Ever wonder about the lives of faculty and staff outside of the classroom? Please welcome our seventh guest – András Bozóki, Professor in Department of Political Science, and Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations at CEU.
Q: What are your hobbies and interests?
A: I like to travel, partly to discover new cultures but also to return to some of my favourite places. During the past decades, I was lucky to live in England, Italy, Germany, Austria, and in the United States, so I have a bit of an insider’s view of the everyday life of people living there. Besides I like to watch movies, particularly dramas with some absurdity and humor.
Q: Tell us about your experience as Minister of Culture of Hungary.
A: I never intended to be a professional politician so it was both surprise and great honor that I got an invitation to join a democratic government of the Republic of Hungary. I was not even a party member. It occurred 15 years ago and lasted until the 2006 elections that we won. Besides the political success, the nicest thing of being a Culture Minister was that I could meet the most talented, interesting, and intelligent people of the country, writers, artists, cultural activists and the likes. It was pleasure to watch or listen to their productions, just as to talk with them. On the other hand, I found the job frustrating in a sense that they all wanted me to offer full financial support for their art. Since this was impossible, I rather focused on fair procedures in supporting cultural activities by following the principles of transparency, diversity, and equality of opportunity.
Q: How did it feel to win Pulitzer Prize award as part of Magyar Narancs’ editorial community?
A: Well that was not an individual prize as the István Bibó Prize that I am more proud of. The Pulitzer Prize for the editorial community of Magyar Narancs reflected on a particularly joyful period of my life, when we established a provocative, free-spirited magazine to explore the freedom of speech. I think we just enjoyed ourselves running this anarchistic magazine without paying much attention to any official recognition or award.
Q: Do you watch any sports? If so, who do you root for?
A: I follow two football teams: AS Roma in Italy and FC Barcelona in Spain. I prefer to watch talented players and beautiful games, so I particularly rooted for two players, Totti and Messi. In basketball, it was thrilling to watch Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls quite a while ago.
Q: What is your ideal Friday night-out?
A: Going out to watch a movie or a theater play with my wife.
Q: If you had a chance to invite anyone to a dinner party, who would it be and why?
A: It would be nice to have more frequent dinners with my adult sons, who live in different countries in Europe. Previously I had a chance to have dinner with some truly famous people but those were just cases of curiosity. We often invite some close friends for dinner to our house, this is what I like most.
Q: What are your guilty pleasures, if you have any?
A: Recently, I have a tendency to spend too much time in social media commenting public issues passionately.
Q: What one advice would you give to our students?
A: Well, I can give more advices. Be curious, critical, and interested in politics! It is frustrating to see that some political scientists are not much interested in politics. Sounds like an oxymoron to me. Try to think out of the box! There are two forms of theories: Problem solving theory and critical theory. Never forget the latter one! Keep in mind that politics is part of society so complex, interdisciplinary thinking is crucial. Beyond strictly academic articles, read books in sociology, history, philosophy and literature.