Postsocialism: Ideals, ideologies and practices in Eurasia
Social scientists did not predict the collapse of the socialist system in 1989-91 and their attempts to explain postsocialism have not been comprehensive. Economic disintegration and political instability have been documented, but the deeper causes have often gone unnoticed. Consequently the solutions proffered, such as the promotion of non-governmental organisations as the foundations of 'civil society', have so far brought little success.
Postsocialism presents, for the first time, the anthropological responses to these problems which are all grounded in intensive fieldwork. The authors demonstrate that even when local conditions are specific, the view 'from below' illuminates macro trends. A wide range of topics are discussed, including:
*the role of social and cultural capital in determining the 'winners' of rural decollectivization
*the devaluation of blue collar labour
*the position of Gypsies
*the viability of 'multicultural' models in situations of religious differences and ethnic violence
*new patterns of consumption in China
*the revival of rituals and the healing of socialist 'trauma'. _
1113969797
Postsocialism: Ideals, ideologies and practices in Eurasia
Social scientists did not predict the collapse of the socialist system in 1989-91 and their attempts to explain postsocialism have not been comprehensive. Economic disintegration and political instability have been documented, but the deeper causes have often gone unnoticed. Consequently the solutions proffered, such as the promotion of non-governmental organisations as the foundations of 'civil society', have so far brought little success.
Postsocialism presents, for the first time, the anthropological responses to these problems which are all grounded in intensive fieldwork. The authors demonstrate that even when local conditions are specific, the view 'from below' illuminates macro trends. A wide range of topics are discussed, including:
*the role of social and cultural capital in determining the 'winners' of rural decollectivization
*the devaluation of blue collar labour
*the position of Gypsies
*the viability of 'multicultural' models in situations of religious differences and ethnic violence
*new patterns of consumption in China
*the revival of rituals and the healing of socialist 'trauma'. _
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Postsocialism: Ideals, ideologies and practices in Eurasia

Postsocialism: Ideals, ideologies and practices in Eurasia

Postsocialism: Ideals, ideologies and practices in Eurasia

Postsocialism: Ideals, ideologies and practices in Eurasia

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Overview

Social scientists did not predict the collapse of the socialist system in 1989-91 and their attempts to explain postsocialism have not been comprehensive. Economic disintegration and political instability have been documented, but the deeper causes have often gone unnoticed. Consequently the solutions proffered, such as the promotion of non-governmental organisations as the foundations of 'civil society', have so far brought little success.
Postsocialism presents, for the first time, the anthropological responses to these problems which are all grounded in intensive fieldwork. The authors demonstrate that even when local conditions are specific, the view 'from below' illuminates macro trends. A wide range of topics are discussed, including:
*the role of social and cultural capital in determining the 'winners' of rural decollectivization
*the devaluation of blue collar labour
*the position of Gypsies
*the viability of 'multicultural' models in situations of religious differences and ethnic violence
*new patterns of consumption in China
*the revival of rituals and the healing of socialist 'trauma'. _

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780415262583
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Publication date: 12/06/2001
Edition description: New Edition
Pages: 360
Product dimensions: 6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

C. M. Hann is Founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, which specialises in studies of postsocialist countries. His book Socialism was published by Routledge in 1992.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements 1. Introduction: Postsocialism as a Topic of Anthropological Investigation (i) Farewell to the socialist 'other' Chris Hann, (ii) Does the category 'postsocialist'still make sense? Caroline Humphrey (iii) Whither postsocialism? Katherine Verdery Part One: Social Capital, Trust and Legitimacy 2. The Advantages of Being Collectivised Martha Lampland 3. Economic Crisis and Ritual Decline in Rural Eastern Europe Gerald Creed 4. The Social Production of Mistrust Christian Giordano and Dobrinka Kostova Part Two: Dimensions of Inequality: Gender, Class and 'Underclass' 5. Retreat to the household?: Gendered Domains in postsocialist Poland Frances Pine 6. The Unmaking of an East-Central European Working Class David Kideckel 7. Deprivation, the Roma and 'the underclass' Michael Stewart Part Three: Violent Histories and the Renewal of Identities 8. Intolerant Sovereignties and 'Multi-Multi' Protectorates: competition over religious sites and (in)tolerance in the Balkans Robert Hayden 9. Withdrawing from the Land: social and spiritual crisis in the indigenous Russian Arctic Piers Vitebsky 10. Remnants of Revolution in China Stefan Feuchtwang Part Four: Stretching Postsocialism 11. Rethinking Chinese Consumption: social palliatives and the rhetorics of transition in postsocialist China Kevin Latham 12. How Far Do Analyses of Post-Socialism travel?: the case of Central Asia Deniz Kandiyoti 13. 'Eurasia', Ideology and the Political Imagination in Provincial Russia Caroline Humphrey Part Five: Democracy Export and Global Civil Society 14. Seeding Civil Society Ruth Mandel 15. Post-Post-Socialism and the New New Elites: project society in the Balkans Steven Sampson 16. Afterword: globalism and postsocialist prospects Don Kalb Index
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