Biographical Research In Eastern Europe

This title was first published in 2003. The transition from socialism experienced by the countries of Eastern and Central Europe during the last decade has been recognised as a profound historical watershed. It is only now, however, that the meanings and dimensions of 'post-socialism' are becoming apparent. The use of the 'biographical perspective' in research provides a unique avenue for studying these changes. Biographical Research in Eastern Europe is the only edited volume that brings the work of many of the most advanced and active biographical researchers working on Eastern Europe together in one volume. The book is organized into four parts. 'The Potential of Biographical Research,' explores the methodological issues. Arguments for the appropriateness of the biographical approach as a humanistic perspective are put forward and emphasis is laid on its fruitfulness for research into everyday lives and for the study of identity construction with particular reference to transition. 'Communists, Informers and Dissidents,' deals with the structural features of Soviet regimes, with a particular focus on the problematic divisions between public and private spheres of life. 'The Impact of Social Change,' demonstrates the value of the biographical approach as an instrument for the study of social and cultural change. 'Exile, Migration and Ethnicity,' centres on the problem of constructing and maintaining ethnic identities under repression; a context that can be seen as disturbing life-trajectories and framing the life story. Covering a wide range of 'post-socialist' countries, the chapters are unified by a common research perspective and an informative introduction that identifies common themes across the selections.

The transition from socialism experienced by the countries of Eastern and Central Europe during the last decade has been recognised as a profound historical watershed. It is only now, however, that the meanings and dimensions of 'post-socialism' are becoming apparent. The use of the 'biographical perspective' in research provides a unique avenue for studying these changes. Biographical Research in Eastern Europe is the only edited volume that brings the work of many of the most advanced and active biographical researchers working on Eastern Europe together in one volume.The book is organized into four parts. 'The Potential of Biographical Research,' explores the methodological issues. Arguments for the appropriateness of the biographical approach as a humanistic perspective are put forward and emphasis is laid on its fruitfulness for research into everyday lives and for the study of identity construction with particular reference to transition. 'Communists, Informers and Dissidents,' deals with the structural features of Soviet regimes, with a particular focus on the problematic divisions between public and private spheres of life. 'The Impact of Social Change,' demonstrates the value of the biographical approach as an instrument for the study of social and cultural change. 'Exile, Migration and Ethnicity,' centres on the problem of constructing and maintaining ethnic identities under repression; a context that can be seen as disturbing life-trajectories and framing the life story.Covering a wide range of 'post-socialist' countries, the chapters are unified by a common research perspective and an informative introduction that identifies common themes across the selections.

The challenge taken on in this book is to confront a division that has separated Europe by an Iron Curtain for over 40 years. The contributions deal with the historical background of this division and its impact on Eastern European biographies. Empirical and theoretical investigations of transformations in people's lives since 1989 are highlighted relating to Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Yugoslavia, as well as the German Democratic Republic. The historical period covered by the articles in this book extends from the Soviet Revolution of 1917 to the present.

Autobiographies of Transformation is a completely unique history of sociology in Central and Eastern Europe in the post-Communist era. Through the autobiographies of ten key sociological witnesses from the region, the sociological imagination is turned upon itself, resulting in a compelling and revealing account of the struggles, triumphs, and continuing challenges faced. The sociologists examined fall into three cohorts: early, mid and late career. As participants, each of the sociologists included has witnessed the intersection of history and biography in Central and Eastern Europe. As sociologists, they have tried, and continue to try, to connect the two so that they and their fellow citizens may better understand their circumstances and the futures that may follow. This revealing book, ideal for students and researchers of sociology, and Central and Eastern Europe studies, provides powerful and compelling autobiographical accounts, relating them to the current interest in this area's transformation.

This Biographical Dictionary describes the lives, works and aspirations of more than 150 women and men who were active in, or part of, women’s movements and feminisms in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe. Thus, it challenges the widely held belief that there was no historical feminism in this part of Europe. These innovative and often moving biographical portraits not only show that feminists existed here, but also that they were widespread and diverse, and included Romanian princesses, Serbian philosophers and peasants, Latvian and Slovakian novelists, Albanian teachers, Hungarian Christian social workers and activists of the Catholic women’s movement, Austrian factory workers, Bulgarian feminist scientists and socialist feminists, Russian radicals, philanthropists, militant suffragists and Bolshevik activists, prominent writers and philosophers of the Ottoman era, as well as Turkish republican leftist political activists and nationalists, internationally recognized Greek feminist leaders, Estonian pharmacologists and science historians, Slovenian ‘literary feminists,’ Czech avant-garde painters, Ukrainian feminist scholars, Polish and Czech Senate Members, and many more. Their stories together constitute a rich tapestry of feminist activity and redress a serious imbalance in the historiography of women’s movements and feminisms.

Numerous historical and political processes and dynamics have led to the emergence of ethnic minority groups in Central and Eastern Europe, each with its own long history and identity. The breakdown of the Soviet regime, the establishment of new nation-states, and the Eastern enlargement of the European Union have raised new questions for these ethnic groups, questions regarding their feelings of belonging and the main elements of their identity. In contrast to the common assumption that ethnic identities have become prevalent having been suppressed for a long time, this book provides empirical evidence that ethnic minorities typically relate to both their ethnic identity and to the national identity of their country of residence. The contributions reveal that the development and maintenance of ethnic, national and European identities are linked to the socio-economic situation and possible benefits for individuals, their countries, or their specific ethnic minority group. The book also highlights that national and European politics may contribute to ethnic and European identification, particularly in the fields of minority rights (e.g. language rights, voting rights) and integration policies. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Identities journal.

This volume focuses on the place of biographical research in social futures and its creative applications in the new unprecedented societal circumstances, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Realist Biography and European Policy is the first concerted attempt to integrate the separate strands of (critical) realism as a developed philosophy for social science with biographical narrative methods as a concrete methodological approach. The main goal is to demonstrate that the combination of critical realism and biographical methods is not only possible, but it is exceptionally well suited for the exploration of newly emerging research fields within European policy studies. This volume offers new insights to and is an indispensable reference for researchers in search of solid underpinnings for their own empirical research. Foreword by Miriam Kennet, Director of the Green Economics Institute, Founder and Editor of the International Journal of Green Economics. Contributors Tatiana Bajuk Senčar (Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute of Slovenian Ethnology), Bob Carter (University of Leicester, Department of Sociology), Prue Chamberlayne (Open University, Faculty of Health and Social Care), Markieta Domecka (independent researcher), Norbert Kluge (coordinator and adviser for the European Works Council of ThyssenKrupp AG), Lyudmila Nurse (director of Oxford XXI), Elisabetta Perone (University of Naples Federico II), Valeria Pulignano (Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven), Antonella Spanò (University of Naples Federico II), Tom Wengraf (Middlesex University)