Political Transformation and Changing Identities in Central and Eastern Europe

Authors: Andrew M. Blasko, Diana Januauskiene

Contributor: Andrew M. Blasko

Edition: illustrated

Publisher: CRVP, 2008

ISBN 1565182464, 9781565182462

420 pages

The post-communist democratic transformation in Europe continues to be one of the most widely topics in the social sciences, even after the recent wave of European Union expansion. Numerous attempts have been made to describe and explain the changes that have been taken place in Central and Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet Union, both in respect to the collapse of the Soviet-style system, and concerning the so-called "Europeanization" that different countries have greeted in markedly different ways. The collection of articles presented here comprises a further contribution to this on-going discussion that involves empirical studies of particular states in the region, a comparative investigation of certain shared problems, as well as an exploration of theoretical questions with the issues of identity and change. In addition to focusing on questions of importance of specific countries, the discussion endeavors to raise issues that are relevant to the region as whole as it has undergone the experience of system change with the resulting need to forge a new identity on the basis of history, culture, and aspirations for a better future.