Martin Bútora (born 7 October 1944) is a Slovak sociologist, writer, university professor and diplomat.

Political career

In November 1989 he was a founding member of the political movement

Public Against Violence Public Against Violence ( sk, Verejnosť proti násiliu, VPN) was a political movement established in Bratislava, Slovakia in November 1989. It was the Slovak counterpart of the Czech Civic Forum. Velvet Revolution Public Against Violence (VPN) ...

, the leading movement of the democratic revolution in Slovakia. He was the human rights advisor to the former president of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...

from 1990 to 1992. In 1997 he co-founded the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) where he served as its first president. He was the Slovak Ambassador to the United States from 1999 to 2003. Bútora placed 6th in the 2004 presidential election, receiving 6.5% of the vote. Bútora is a member of the advisory board of the

Prague European Summit The Prague European Summit is a platform for a regular high-level strategic debate on the future of the European Union and other European issues. It is the only platform of this kind focused on the European Union in Central and Eastern Europe. It ...

Scholarship

In the first half of the 1990s he taught at the

Charles University of Prague ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , under ...

and at the

Trnava Trnava (, german: Tyrnau; hu, Nagyszombat, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a ''kraj'' ( Trnava Region) and of an '' okres'' ( T ...

University. His sociological work focuses on international politics, transatlantic relations, human rights, and minorities.

Key publications

* ''Abschied von der Tschechoslowakei: Ursachen und Folgen der tschechisch-slowakischen Trennung'' (Farewell to Czechoslovakia: Causes and Consequences of the Czech-Slovak Separation). Köln : Verlag Wissenschaft und Politik, 1993. (with Rüdiger Kipke and Karel Vodička) * "Slovakia's Democratic Awakening," ''

Journal of Democracy The ''Journal of Democracy'' is a quarterly academic journal established in 1990 and an official publication of the National Endowment for Democracy's International Forum for Democratic Studies. It covers the study of democracy, democratic regim ...

'' 10 (1, 1999): 80–95 (with Zora Bútorova) * ''We Saw the Holocaust''. Bratislava: Milan Šimečka Foundation, 2005. (eds., with Nadácia Milana Šimečku, et al.) * ''Active Citizenship and the Nongovernmental Sector in Slovakia: Trends and Perspectives''. Bratislava: Včelí Dom, 2012. (with Zora Bútorova and Boris Strečanský)

Honors and awards

* 1999 – Democracy Service Medal,

National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an organization in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by promoting political and economic institutions such as political groups, trade unions, ...

, Washington, D.C. * 2000 –

Ján Papánek Ján is a Slovak form of the name John. Famous people named Ján * Ján Bahýľ, inventor * Ján Čapkovič, football player * Ján Čarnogurský, former Prime Minister of Slovakia * Ján Cikker, composer * Ján Ďurica, football player * Ján ...

Medal * 2000 –

Order of Ľudovít Štúr The Order of Ľudovít Štúr ( sk, Rad Ľudovíta Štúra) is the third highest Slovak state decoration (after the Order of the White Double Cross and the Orders, decorations, and medals of Slovakia#Andrej Hlinka Order, Order of Andrej Hlinka) ...

, for his contribution to defense of human rights and development of civil society, awarded by

Rudolf Schuster Rudolf Schuster (born 4 January 1934) is a Slovak politician, who served as the second president of Slovakia from 1999 to 2004. He was elected on 29 May 1999 and inaugurated on 15 June. In the presidential elections of April 2004, in which he so ...

President of Slovakia The president of the Slovak Republic ( sk, Prezident Slovenskej republiky) is the head of state of Slovakia and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The president is directly elected by the people for five years, and can be elected for ...

. * 2002 – Celebration of Freedom Award, American Jewish Committee * 2012 – Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture,

Woodrow Wilson Center The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Was ...

, Washington, DC"Twenty Years of Independence: Reflections on Freedom and Democracy," November 16, 2012, Woodrow Wilson Center.
Accessed: 12 November 2012. * 2019 - VIZE 97 Prize

References

External links

Martin Bútora "CV and abstract", Institute for Public Affairs, Bratislava

"Interviews: Martin Bútora,"
The Freedom Collection, George W. Bush Institute,

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

University Park, Texas University Park is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States of America, in suburban Dallas. The population was 23,068 at the 2010 census. The city is home to Southern Methodist University. University Park is bordered on the north, east and we ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butora, Martin 1944 births Living people Diplomats from Bratislava Public Against Violence politicians Slovak sociologists Academic staff of the University of Trnava Ambassadors of Slovakia to the United States Academic staff of Charles University Candidates for President of Slovakia Order of Ľudovít Štúr