Postsocialism: Politics and Emotions in Central and Eastern Europe

Published by Berghahn Books 2006

Postsocialism

Politics and Emotions in Central and Eastern Europe

Edited by: Maruška Svašek

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780857455598

Overview
Contents

About this book

In many parts of post-socialist Europe the tumultuous political and economic developments have generated strong emotions, ranging from hope and euphoria to disappointment, envy, disillusionment, sorrow, loneliness, and hatred. Yet these aspects have been largely neglected in analyses of the profound transformations that have taken place in Central and Eastern Europe since 1990. Based on a wide variety of ethnographic case studies focusing on Russian, Siberian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Slovenian, Croatian, Czech, and Polish communities, this volume proves the significance of emotions to post-socialist political processes as an inherent part of the transformations and sheds new light on the impact of local, national, and transnational political forces that have given rise to the resurgence of nationalist sentiments, increasing poverty and marginalization, conflicts arising from the restitution of state property, constitutional changes, and economic deprivation.

Author / Editor information

Maruška Svašek is Professor of Anthropology at the School of History and Anthropology, Queen's University Belfast. Her main research interests include postsocialism, border issues, emotions, migration and material culture. She has published numerous papers in journals and edited collections on these issues. She is coeditor (with Kay Milton) of Mixed Emotions: Anthropological Studies of Feeling (Berg, 2005) and an editor of Focaal: European Journal of Anthropology. In 2007, she published a book on the anthropology of art, entitled Anthropology, Art and Cultural Production (Pluto), in which she applied the notion of emotional agency to the study of art and artefacts.

Reviews

“In conclusion, the intersection of politics and emotions in the postsocialist countries is definitely an interesting and daring academic journey, situated at the crossroads of political science and psychology. The pioneering work of the contributors furthers the academic boundaries of the disciplines, and adds an interdisciplinary richness to both fields of knowledge.” • Social Anthropology

“The authors of these essays present nuanced analyses of ethnographic data from a number of substantive fields, all significant and relevant beyond their immediate empirical focus. For this reason, and thanks to the essays’ easily accessible language and novel theoretical focus, this book is an excellent scholarly contribution to the growing literature on social change in Eastern Europe, and could also serve as a text for students of social change both at the graduate and undergraduate level.” • The Historian

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Introduction: Postsocialism and the Politics of Emotions Maruška Svašek Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Nostalgia and the Emotional Economy: a Comparative Look at Rural Russia Patrick Heady and Liesl L. Gambold Miller Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	34
2. Social Suffering and Political Protest: Mapping Emotions and Power among Pomaks in Postsocialist Bulgaria Dimitrina Mihaylova Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	53
3. Sentiments and/as Property Rights: Restitution and Conflict in Postsocialist Romania Filippo M. Zerilli Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	74
4. Postsocialist Ownership: Emotions, Power and Morality in a Czech Village Maruška Svašek Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
5. Claiming Ownership in Postwar Croatia: the Emotional Dynamics of Possession and Repossession in Knin Carolin Leutloff-Grandits Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	115
6. ‘The First Europeans’ Fantasy of Slovenian Venetologists: Emotions and Nationalist Imaginings Zlatko Skrbiš Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	138
7. Strategies of Resistance in the Polish Campaign against EU Membership Justine Golanska-Ryan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
8. The Misgivings of Democracy: Personal Resentment and Alternating Power in a Czech Village Birgit Müller Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	178
9. The Dynamics of Trust and Mistrust in Poland: Floods, Emotions, Citizenship and the State Don Kalb and Herman Tak Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	196
Afterword Alaina Lemon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	214
Notes on Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	221
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 244
Keywords: Anthropology (General); Cultural Studies (General)

eBook

Published: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 9780857455598