Postsocialism Ideals, Ideologies and Practices in Eurasia

Social scientists did not predict the collapse of socialist systems in 1989-91 and most attempts to explain what has happened since have been flawed. Economic disintegration and political instability have been documented, but the deeper causes and consequences 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 a range of anthropological analyses of the new social order. The view from below, obtained through intensive fieldwork, opens up new understanding of the postsocialist condition and the extent to which one dominant ideology has been replaced by another. The topics addressed include: 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 difference and ethnic violHann, C. M. is the author of 'Postsocialism Ideals, Ideologies and Practices in Eurasia', published 2001 under ISBN 9780415262583 and ISBN 0415262585.