I Introduction ( ) Introduction to Post- Communist Social Change, Spring 2013 Mikko Lagerspetz Åbo Akademi Sociology
Teachers: Mikko Lagerspetz, Professor, Sociology, ÅA (course leader) Henri Vogt, Professor, International Politics, TY Sabina Hadzibulic, PhD Candidate, Belgrad University Tuesday, 15-17: Introduction (Mikko) Wednesday, 15-17: Democratisation (Henri) Tuesday, 15-17: Challenges of transformation (Henri) Wednesday, 15-17: NO LECTURE 2. 4 Tuesday, 15-17: Civil society etc (Mikko) 3. 4 Wednesday, 15-17: Identity and ethnicity (Mikko) 9. 4 Tuesday, 15-17: Global, EU etc (Henri) Wednesday, 15-17: Economic transformation (Sabina) Tuesday, 15-17: The Yugoslavian case (Sabina) Wednesday, 15-17: Conclusions (Mikko)
Why Post-Communism? Science: idiographic – giving descriptions and analyses of unique events and phenomena – or nomothetic – finding out about general laws and regularities a region of 400 million people historical development a laboratory of social and institutional change
”Triple transformation” (Claus Offe) change of economy from (in principle) planned to market economy; change of political system; change of society and culture; and also the emergence of new states and a change in the previously existing states’ place in the international system
(Around) 29 countries
”Transition?”
Models of welfare capitalism Gøsta Esping-Andersen (1990): Liberal Corporatist-Statist Social Democratic Later, he proposed another type: Mediterranean
”Transition?”
The appeal of authoritarianism Is liberal democracy an inevitable outcome of economic modernization? (Francis Fukuyama 1990: The End of History and the Last Man) among the South-East Asian economic ”tigers” such as Singapore there has occurred rapid economic growth and modernization without political liberalisation. Even this developmental path can have its appeal
”Transition?”
A temporary condition? “transition” creates the picture of a temporary state. Cf. “developing countries”, or the way in which the Real Socialist regimes legitimated their system: it was a transition towards Communism, in which all problems would be solved normative and teleological
”Transition?”
Around 29 countries
Regions
Post-Communism: shared characteristics George (György) Schöpflin (1997: 4) two main traits that characterise post- communist societies: 1) Genesis environment – many possible paths of development were (and partly, still are) open 2) Liminality – parts of the old society and culture remain, live alongside with new structures, values, norms, ideas etc.
Explaining transformation Poland 1980s; Gorbachev 1985-; Revolutions ; Dissolution of SU 1992 1) normative 2) remuneratory 3) coercive => 1) ideology, 2) economy; 3) military power
Thank you for your attenti on! (picture: Martti Innanen)