Author: William Leon McBride Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield ISBN: 0847687988 Category : Europe, Eastern Languages : en Pages : 148
Book Description
The dramatic events of 1989 and their aftermath raise fundamental questions about the nature of social and intellectual change, about the relation of philosophy to politics, and above all about human values within the global structures of today. This book offers a sober, critical analysis of the post-Marxist realities of the old Eastern Bloc and provides an overview of significant aspects of both the 'bygone era' and the present situation in the region. It analyzes the phenomenon of ideological conversation, re-examines the relationship of philosophy to politics, and revisits questions about freedom, democracy, justice, civil society, religion, nationalism, and human relationships, in light of the changes there, together with the entire question of 'globalization.'
Author: Henri Vogt Publisher: Berghahn Books ISBN: 9781571818959 Category : Czech Republic Languages : en Pages : 352
Book Description
Scholarly interpretations of the collapse of communism and developments thereafter have tended to be primarily concerned with people's need to rid themselves of the communist system, of their past. The expectations, dreams, and hopes that ordinary Eastern Europeans had when they took to the streets in 1989, and have had ever since, have therefore been overlooked - and our understanding of the changes in post-communist Europe has remained incomplete. Focusing primarily on five key areas, such as the heritage of 1989 revolutions, ambivalence, disillusionment, individualism, and collective identities, this book explores the expectations and goals that ordinary Eastern Europeans had during the 1989 revolutions and the decade thereafter, and also the problems and disappointments they encountered in the course of the transformation. The analysis is based on extensive interviews with university students and young intellectuals in the Czech Republic, Eastern Germany and Estonia in the 1990s, which in themselves have considerable value as historical documents.
Author: Claus Offe Publisher: MIT Press ISBN: 9780262650489 Category : Philosophy Languages : en Pages : 268
Book Description
The nine essays in this volume explore such topics as the characteristics and shortcomings of state socialist societies and of democratic capitalism, the role of ethnic politics in East European transitions, issues of retribution and restitution in the transition to a democratic society based on a private economy, and the effects the collapse of Communism have had on Western democracies and on the Left in particular.
Author: Ferenc Fehér Publisher: Transaction Pub ISBN: 9780887383113 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 531
Book Description
Communism in Eastern Europe is in crisis. Its dimensions are social and economic; its manifestation is political. This volume, a collection of essays by leading authorities, describes the symptoms of the crisis, diagnoses the causes of the malady, and offers alternative scenarios for therapy. A unique dimension of this collection is its avoidance of one-dimensional explanations. The contributors approach the subject from very different angles, and start from very distinct sociopolitical premises. The volume includes original accounts of unexplored aspects of East European communism as well as classic interpretations of the economic crisis and social stagnation that characterize the area. Contributions not only examine the sociopolitical behavior of the ruling apparatus, but also analyze its strategies, political culture, and the opposition. Both the professional and the general reader seeking more information about Eastern Europe will find this volume an extensive, in-depth portrait of the current situation in what many observers predict may develop into the major area of tension in post-World War II Europe. Ferenc Feher, a collaborator and friend of George Lukacs, was a leading member of the "Budapest School." Forced into exile in 1977, he was taught in Australia and is now in New York at the New School for Social Research. He has published widely, in several languages, on the philosophy of art, political theory, and history.
Author: Costica Bradatan Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 113576123X Category : Philosophy Languages : en Pages : 360
Book Description
Philosophy, Society and the Cunning of History in Eastern Europe charts the intellectual landscape of twentieth century East-Central Europe under the unifying theme of 'precariousness' as a mode of historical existence. Caught between empires, often marked by catastrophic historic events and grand political failures, the countries of East-Central Europe have for a long time developed a certain intellectual self-representation, a culture that not only helps them make some sense of such misfortunes, but also protects them somehow from a collapse into nihilism. An interdisciplinary study of this sophisticated culture of survival and endurance has been long overdue. Not only is it charming and worth studying in its own right, but with the re-integration of the 'new Europe' into the 'old' one and the emergence on the 'Western' European intellectual scene of many authors from the 'East,' such a culture will also shape the European mind of the 21st century. This volume decodes and explores this culture of 'precariousness' from the complementary angles of philosophy, political theory, intellectual history and literary studies. Expert contributors look at a wide range of topics, from philosophical martyrdom to collective suffering to geographical fatalism, and explore the works of key authors in the field including Cioran, Kołakowski, Kertész, Bauman and Žižek. This book was originally published as a special issue of Angelaki: The Journal of the Theoretical Humanities.
Author: Adam Przeworski Publisher: Cambridge University Press ISBN: 9780521423359 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 230
Book Description
The quest for freedom from hunger and repression has triggered in recent years a dramatic, worldwide reform of political and economic systems. Never have so many people enjoyed, or at least experimented with democratic institutions. However, many strategies for economic development in Eastern Europe and Latin America have failed with the result that entire economic systems on both continents are being transformed. This major book analyzes recent transitions to democracy and market-oriented economic reforms in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Drawing in a quite distinctive way on models derived from political philosophy, economics, and game theory, Professor Przeworski also considers specific data on individual countries. Among the questions raised by the book are: What should we expect from these experiments in democracy and market economy? What new economic systems will emerge? Will these transitions result in new democracies or old dictatorships?
Author: William Leon McBride
Author: János Kristóf Nyíri
Author: Andrew M. Blasko
Author: Henri Vogt
Author: Janina Frentzel-Zagórska
Author: Claus Offe
Author: Aspen E. Brinton
Author: Ferenc Fehér
Author: Costica Bradatan
Author: Adam Przeworski