Postsocialism as a Return: Notes on a Discursive Strategy
Postsocialism as a Return: Notes on a Discursive Strategy

Summary/Abstract: Present developments in postsocialist Europe have, in many contexts, been interpreted as a "return" to some previous stages of the history of these societies, both by politicians of these countries and by foreign analysts. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, postsocialist politicians have nourished a tendency to refer to an allegedly democratic experience of the years preceding the Second World War. In their rhetoric, the "return" carries mainly positive connotations. On the other hand, many foreign theoreticians and journalists have interpreted postsocialist ethnic conflict and extremist movements as expressions of centuries-old controversies, only temporarily suppressed by the authoritarian state. [...]

• Details
• Contents