Hardback
July 15, 2007
9789637326851
English
512
9.21 Inches (US)
6.26 Inches (US)
1.9 Pounds (US)
$121.00 USD, £90.00 GBP
v2.1 Reference

Narratives Unbound

Historical studies in post-communist Eastern Europe

The first work that covers the post-Communist development of historical studies in six Eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. A uniquely critical and qualitative analysis from a comparative and critical perspective, written by scholars from the region itself.

Focusing on the first post-Communist decade, 1989–1999, the book offers a longer-term perspective that includes the immediate 'prehistory' of that momentous decade as well as its 'posthistoire'. The authors capture the spirit of 1989, that heady mix of elation, surprise, determination, and hope: l'ivresse du possible. This was the paradoxical beginning of Eastern European post-Communism: ushered in by 'anti-Utopian' revolutions, and slowly finding its course towards a bureaucratic, imitative, challenging, and anachronistic restoration of a capitalism that had changed almost beyond recognition when it had mutated into the negative double of Communism. Each individual chapter has numerous and detailed notes and references.

About the Authors

Balázs Trencsényi is a Professor at the History Department of Central European University. Péter Apor is permanent research fellow at the Institute of History, Humanities Research Center, Budapest. Sorin Antohi is Associate Professor of History at the University of Bucharest, and at Central European University, Budapest; he is currently a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford.

Reviews

"An excellent addition to the existing literature on postsocialist historiography in eastern and southeastern Europe. A particular strength of the contributions is their coherence. This well-edited book will appeal not only to specialists of east central and southeastern European history and historiography but would also be an asset in classes dealing with collective memory and historiography in this region."—Slavic Review

Endorsements

"The historian's craft from the annus mirabilis (1989) to the fin-de-siecle is scrutinized by a team of young scholars from Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Inspired by and atuned to a truly comparative agenda and methodology, these richly detailed and rigorously analytical surveys of the historical profession in the six post-communist countries provide an indispensable base for transregional and transnational comparisons and syntheses. A valuable and well-crafted volume that brings historiography to the center-stage and that, hopefully, will inspire similar endeavors not only across Europe but also in the newly emerging field of world history."—Maria Todorova

"To find itself and its way into the future, Europe needs to look at its past and at its historiography. This book closes a hurting gap in our knowledge of historical studies and of their public resonance in six countries from East Central and Southeastern Europe, usually overlooked by syntheses devoted to European historical studies. The editors and the authors provide abundant information on and thorough critical assessments of the way scholars from these EU newcomers research, understand, and represent their respective national histories after the dramatic turn of 1989. Thus, they significantly contribute to the articulation of a vision of Europe as a living unity of diverse and interactive pasts."—Jörn Rüsen

"This collection of studies of Eastern European historiography will be much welcomed by Western European and New World scholars. The coverage of the six countries treated is comprehensive, the issues clearly identified, and the scholarship impressive. Anyone interested in the problem of writing history in the wake of the Second World War in contested areas (and what areas were not?) will want to study this book. Antohi is an authoritative expert on historiography and one of the few theorists of history and history writing with a cosmopolitan perspective."—Hayden White
Central European University Press

9789637326851 : narratives-unbound-trencsenyi-apor-antohi
Hardback
512 Pages
$121.00 USD

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The Historical Construction of National Consciousness

Jenő Szűcs, edited by Gábor Klaniczay, Balázs Trencsényi, Gábor Gyáni
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Anti-modernism

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Other Titles by Péter Apor

The Rise of Comparative History

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Past for the Eyes

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Jan 2008 - Central European University Press
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Other Titles by Sorin Antohi

Between Past and Future

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Aug 1999 - Central European University Press
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