Overview

This volume examines the legacy of the East-West divide since the implosion of the communist regimes in Europe. The ideals of 1989 have largely been frustrated by the crises and turmoil of the past decade. The liberal consensus was first challenged as early as the mid-2000s. In Eastern Europe, grievances were directed against the prevailing narratives of transition and ever sharper ethnic-racial antipathies surfaced in opposition to a supposedly postnational and multicultural West. In Western Europe, voices regretting the European Union's supposedly careless and premature expansion eastward began to appear on both sides of the left-right and liberal-conservative divides. The possibility of convergence between Europe's two halves has been reconceived as a threat to the European project. In a series of original essays and conversations, thirty-three contributors from the fields of European and global history, politics and culture address questions fundamental to our understanding of Europe today: How have perceptions and misperceptions between the two halves of the continent changed over the last three decades? Can one speak of a new East-West split? If so, what characterizes it and why has it reemerged? The contributions demonstrate a great variety of approaches, perspectives, emphases, and arguments in addressing the daunting dilemma of Europe's assumed East-West divide.

Full Product Details

Author:   Laczo
Publisher:   Central European University Press
Imprint:   Central European University Press
ISBN:  

9789633863749

ISBN 10:   9633863740
Pages:   344
Publication Date:   15 October 2020
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements The legacy of division: East and West after 1989 Ferenc Laczó and Luka Lisjak Gabrijelčič Staring through the mocking glass: Three misperceptions of the East-West divide since 1989 Dorothee Bohle and Béla Greskovits Back to Cold War and beyond Richard Sakwa The cost of unity: The transformation of Germany and East Central Europe after 1989 Philipp Ther Thirty years on: Germany's unfinished unity Claus Leggewie This mess of troubled times Karl Schlögel The mythology of the East-West divide Jan Zielonka Anxious Europe Florian Bieber 'But this is the world we live in': Corruption, everyday managing, and civic mobilization in post-socialist Romania Jill Massino The end of the liberal world as we know it? Two walls in 1989 James Wang Wests, East-Wests, and divides Niall Chithelen The Great Substitution Holly Case The struggle over 1989: The rise and contestation of eastern European populism Bogdan Iacob, James Mark and Tobias Rupprecht Beyond anti-democratic temptation Marius Stan and Vladimir Tismaneanu Dissidence – doubt – creativity: Revisiting 1983 Joachim von Puttkamer Gendering dissent: Human rights, gender history and the road to 1989 Robert Brier Creating feminism in the shadow of male heroes: That other story of 1989 Zsófia Lóránd Legacies of 1989 for dissent today Barbara J. Falk Of hopes and ends: Czech transformations after 1989 Ondřej Slačálek Just because the map says so, doesn't mean it's true: Thirty years after 1989, from an island perspective Owen Hatherley The East in you never leaves Julia Sonnevend Freedom of movement: A European dialectic Jannis Panagiotidis 'The Romanians are coming': Emerging divisions and enduring misperceptions in contemporary Europe Diana Georgescu The two faces of European disillusionment: An end to myths about the West and the East Jarosław Kuisz Go East! Aleida Assmann 'The future was next to you.' An interview with Ivan Krastev on '89 and the end of liberal hegemony 'To consciously take on the role of the unconscious.' A conversation between Igor Pomerantsev and Peter Pomerantsev Bibliography List of Contributors Index

Reviews

The overthrow of communism was peaceful in the majority of Central and Eastern European countries. Most citizens of East Central Europe viewed membership in the European Community as a prized goal that will aid rapid improvement in their standards of living, seamless inclusion in the European Market, and a democratic political system. While some economic successes cannot be denied, transformation was slow and unequal. After the global financial crisis of 2008, economic liberalism became burdened with statism, paternalism and oligarchic rule; and the crony model of capitalism or elements of authoritarianism ( illiberal democracy ) reappeared. Therefore, largely, the conclusion drawn by most of the contributors for The Legacy of Division is that new curtains have appeared, but these are made of much lighter materials than the old Iron Curtain. -- Susan Glanz * Hungarian Cultural Studies *

"""Some books answer questions, and some books inspire readers to ask more questions. The Legacy of Division belongs to the latter group. In an essayistic way, it invites a broad audience to consider questions of the present and the past. Readers might include scholars, students, and journalists, but thanks to the essayistic style, any member of the broader public interested in understanding the varied nature and legacies of the East-West divisions will find the book engaging. The future is open, and our thinking about it is richer thanks to The Legacy of Division."" https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=999140 -- Petra Guasti * Hungarian Historical Review * ""This rich and insightful collection of twenty-eight essays, originally published in Eurozine online in 2019, reflects on the fate of eastern Europe thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is an impressive but depressing compilation that captures the angst experienced by many of the region’s inhabitants—and by a majority of outside observers."" https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/slavic-review/article/legacy-of-division-east-and-west-after-1989-ed-ferenc-laczo-and-luka-lisjak-gabrijelcic-budapest-central-european-university-press-2020-x-337-pp-appendix-notes-bibliography-index-illustrations-2999-paper/2BCE120EC29C4772AD793957CED9B7DE -- Peter Rutland * Slavic Review * ""The overthrow of communism was peaceful in the majority of Central and Eastern European countries. Most citizens of East Central Europe viewed membership in the European Community as a prized goal that will aid rapid improvement in their standards of living, seamless inclusion in the European Market, and a democratic political system. While some economic successes cannot be denied, transformation was slow and unequal. After the global financial crisis of 2008, economic liberalism became burdened with statism, paternalism and oligarchic rule; and the crony model of capitalism or elements of authoritarianism (“illiberal democracy”) reappeared. Therefore, largely, the conclusion drawn by most of the contributors for The Legacy of Division is that new curtains have appeared, but these are made of much lighter materials than the old Iron Curtain."" -- Susan Glanz * Hungarian Cultural Studies *"

Author Information

Ferenc Laczo is an assistant professor in European History at Maastricht University.

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