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SoSe 14: Justice Beliefs and Transformation in Central East Europe

Zsófia Ignácz

Kommentar

The year 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of socialist regimes in Central East Europe. Still, the legacy of socialism lingers in these countries, and their stability is still considered vulnerable. The course aims to give an overview of trends in the political and economic realms in Central East Europe, in particular, when it comes to economic and political attitudes. Additionally, the course aims to not only pinpoint the general trends taking place in this region, but also to emphasize the uniqueness of each country by looking at various case studies. The course is divided into three main blocks. The first short block gives an introduction to the definitions crucial for the seminar, such as: what is the definition of a socialism or capitalism, and how can we define Central East Europe. The second block focuses on the political transformation, and the political legitimacy in Central East Europe. This second block touches on subjects like the role of elites, the presence of (or lack) of restitution in post-socialist countries, and the role of (socialist) socialization on political attitudes. The final block focuses on the economic transformation and the economic legitimacy in the Central East European region. This final block looks at the transformation of the labor market, and looks at how empirical distributive justice research has addressed the question of economic legitimacy in Central East European countries. Passive understanding of any Central East European language is an asset to the course, but not essential. Exam: The exam for this module is a marked seminar paper (c. 3000 words)/ three short essays (c. 1000 words each) OR a marked oral examination (25 minutes). Schließen