Journey to Points Beyond Utopia Course home
An introduction to the anthropology of postsocialism
 
 
Core curriculum
The Core curriculum consists of 8 themes that are to be read by all students. There will be regular lectures on all themes, except for themes 4 and 5, which will be introduced in special WBL modules. (See the Course plan.)
  1. The legacy of socialism      
18 Verdery, Katherine (1991): "Theorizing Socialism: A Prologue to the 'Transition'", American Ethnologist, Vol. 18, No. 3, p.419-436. (Region) 1991 Economy, Politics
26 Shlapentokh, Vladimir (1989): "Privatization of Soviet society," and exerpts from: "Legal and illegal private life: Primary groups" and "Civil society: Semilegal and illegal private activity," in Public and Private Life of the Soviet People. Changing Values in Post-Stalin Russia, p.153-170 & 190-198, New York: Oxford University Press. Russia 1989 Public-Private
  2. Civil society and the state      
21 Anderson, David G. (1993): "Civil Society in Siberia. The Institutional Legacy of the Soviet State", in Hermine G. De Soto & David G. Anderson (ed.): The Curtain Rises. Rethinking Culture, Ideology, and the State in Eastern Europe, p.76-96, Atlantic Highlands, N.J.: Humanities Press. Siberia 1993 Public-Private
11 Sampson, Steven (2002): Weak States, Uncivil Societies and Thousands of NGOs: Western Democracy Export as Benevolent Colonialism in the Balkans, Department of Social Anthropology, Sociologiska Institutionen, Lund University, Sweden. http://www.anthrobase.com/Txt/S/Sampson_S_01.htm (11 p.) Balkans 2002 Aid, Public-Private
  3. Nationalism      
22 Kisriev, Enver (2003): "Why is there stability in Dagestan but not in Chechnya?" in J. Koehler & C. Zürcher (eds.): Potentials of Disorder, p.103-126, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Caucasus 2003 Conflict
17 Gal, Susan (1991): "Bartók's funeral: Representations of Europe in Hungarian Political Rhetoric", American Anthropologist, Vol. 18, No. 3, p.440-456. Hungary 1991 Nationalism, Politics
  4. Collective memory, life stories      
20 Yampolsky, Mikhail (1995): "In the Shadow of Monuments. Notes on Iconoclasm and Time", in Nancy Condee (ed.): Soviet Hieroglyphics. Visual Culture in Late Twentieth-Century Russia, p.93-112, Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Russia 1995 Collective memory
19 Skultans, Vieda (1997): "Theorizing Latvian Lives: The Quest for Identity", Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (N.S.), Vol. 3, No.4, p.761-779. Baltic: Latvia 1997 Narrative, Nationalism
  5. Generation      
29 Yurchak, Alexei (1999): "Gagarin and the rave kids: Transforming power, identity, and aesthetics in post-Soviet nightlife," in A.M. Barker (ed.): Consuming Russia: Popular culture, sex, and society since Gorbachev, p.76-109, London: Duke University Press. Russia 1999 Generation, Crime
20 Omel'chenko, Elena (1996): "Young women in provincial gang culture: A case study of Ul'ianovsk", in H. Pilkington (ed.): Gender, Generation and Identity in Contemporary Russia, p.216-235, London: Routledge. Russia 1996 Generation, Crime
  6. Gender      
22 Kay, Rebecca & Kostenko, Maxim (2006): Men in Crisis or in Critical Need of Support? Insights from Russia and the UK, Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, 22:1, p.90–114. Russia / UK 2006 Gender
22 Pine, Francis (1994): "Privatization in Post-Socialist Poland: Peasant Women, Work, and the Restructuring of the Public Sphere", Cambridge Anthropology, Vol. 17, No. 3, p.19-40. Poland 1994 Property, Gender
  7. Exchange, informal economy      
15 Ivleva, Irina & Patchenkov, Oleg. (2003): Street traders in St. Petersburg. In K.-O. Arnstberg & T. Borén, eds. Everyday economy in Russia, Poland and Latvia, p.129-45, Huddinge: Södertörns högskola (Södertörn academic studies, no.16). Russia 2003 Exchange, Gender
15 Stewart, Michael (1992): "Gypsies at the Horse-Fair. A Non-Market Model of Trade", in Roy Dilley (ed.): Contesting Markets. Analyses of Ideology, Discourse and Practice, p.97-111, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Hungary 1992 Exchange
  8. Property, privatization      
20 Höjdestrand, Tova (2003): "Hunters and gatherers in the urban jungle: Ways of coping among homeless Russians", in: Arnstberg & Borén (eds.): The Everyday Economy of Russia, Poland and the Baltic States, p.171-192, Huddinge: Södertörns högskola (Södertörn academic studies, no.16). Russia 2003 Property, Class
24 Verdery, Katherine (1999): "Fuzzy property: Rights, power and identity in Transylvania's Decollectivization", in Michael Burawoy & Katherine Verdery (ed.): Uncertain Transition. Ethnographies of Change in the Postsocialist World, p.53-81, New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Romania 1999 Property
         
313 Total pages (core curriculum)
187 Pages remaining for supplementary curriculum (BA students)
387 Pages remaining for supplementary curriculum (MA students)