SOC762 Cultural Anthropology of Post-Socialism

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2008
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 15 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Miklós Vörös, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Alice Audyová (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Ing. Radim Marada, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Timetable
Thu 2. 10. 14:30–19:30 U34, Thu 16. 10. 14:30–19:30 U34, Thu 30. 10. 14:30–19:30 U34, Thu 13. 11. 14:30–19:30 U34, Thu 11. 12. 14:30–19:30 U34
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course gives an overview of the major themes and paradigms in the cultural anthropological research of late-state-socialist and post-socialist societies. Thus, it focuses both on the palette of various fields that have been seen as specific to the region, as well as on the important shifts of attention from one topic to another over the course of the past two decades. The format of the course is a combination of introductory lectures and readng seminars; students will be encouraged to read both classic and innovative ethnographies as well as theoretical syntheses of the relevant literature, and be prepared to give concise presentations on them. The course meets six times this fall: 29.09., 21.10., 11.11., 25.11., 9.12., 16.12.2005
Syllabus
  • What Is East-Central Europe? Political and Cultural Geographies
  • What Was Socialism? Historical and Economic Conceptualizations
  • East-Central Europe as an Area of Anthropological Studies
  • Political Theories of State Socialism and Their Practical Critique
  • Economic Reforms, Consumer Socialism, Second Economy
  • Theories and Histories of the Transition
  • Wild East: Global Capitalism in East-Central Europe
  • Privatization, Consumerism, and the Discourse on Normality
  • Trajectories of Social and Cultural Change after 1989
  • History and National Identity in the Post-Socialist Context
  • Forms of Nationalism in East-Central Europe
  • Gender and Generation: Enduring Traditions of Exclusion
Literature
  • HOFER, Tamás. Anthropologists and Native Ethnographers in Central European Villages:Comparative Notes on the Professional Personality of Two Disciplines. 1968. info
  • GALBRAITH, Marysia H. Between East and West: Geographic Metaphors. 2004. info
  • ARNASON, Johann P. Introduction: Demarcating East-Central Europe. 2005. info
  • HALPERN, Joel Martin and David A. KIDECKEL. Anthropology of Eastern Europe. 1983. info
Assessment methods
The format of the course is a combination of brief lectures and a thorough discussion of assigned readings.The students are encouraged to conduct a brief ethnographic research on cultural practices and write down the observations in a field diary, read both classic and innovative ethnographies as well as theoretical syntheses of the relevant literature, and be prepared to give concise yet in-depth presentations on them.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Autumn 2009, Spring 2010, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2008, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2008/SOC762