While the decline of communism in the late twentieth century brought democracy, political freedom, and better economic prospects for many people, it also produced massive social dislocation and engendered social problems that were far less pronounced under the old regimes. The fall of state socialism led to enormously complex political, economic, social, and cultural transformations, and while political liberalization was a lofty goal, it was neither uniform in its effects nor unqualified in its benefits. Postcommunism from Within foregrounds the diversity of the historical experiences and current realities of people in the postcommunist region in examining how they are responding to these monumental changes at home. The original essays in this volume lay out a bold new approach to research on the postcommunist region, and to democratization studies more broadly, that focuses on the social and cultural microprocesses behind political and economic transformation. Thematic essays by eminent scholars of postcommunism from across the social sciences are supported by case studies to demonstrate the limitations of current democratization paradigms and suggest ways of building categories of research that more closely capture the role of vernacular knowledge in demanding, creating, and adapting to institutional change. A novel approach to understanding one of the greatest political and social transformations in recent history, Postcommunism from Within explores not just how citizens respond to political and economic restructuring engineered at the top but also how people enact their own visions of life, politics, and justice by responding to daily challenges.
List of Tables List of Figures Preface Seteney ShamiAcknowledgments Introduction. Postcommunism in a New Key Amy LinchPart One: General Approaches to Postcommunism1 From Transitology to Contextual Holism Jan Kubik2 Social Justice, Social Science, and the Complexities of Postsocialism Thomas C. Wolfe and John PicklesPart Two: Gender3 Social Justice, Hegemony, and Women's Mobilizations Joanna Regulska and Magdalena Grabowska4 Grounds for Hope? Voices of Feminism and Women's Activism in Romania Laura Lovinvi Contents5 Transformation to Democracy Medea BadashviliPart Three: Poverty6 Poverty and Popular Mobilization in Postcommunist Capitalist Regimes Ivan Szelenyi and Katarzyna Wilk7 "Scandalous Ethnicity" and "Victimized Ethnonationalism" Alina Vamanu and Iulian VamanuPart Four: Corruption8 A Critique of the Global Corruption "Paradigm" Alena V. Ledeneva9 Informal Payments to Doctors Rasma Karklins10 Informal Relations in Public Procurement Ase Berit Grodeland Afterword. Mobilizing Justice Across Hegemonies in Place Michael D. Kennedy About the Contributors Index
