Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe [Paperback]

Dr. Heiko Pleines is head of the Department of Politics and Economics of the Research Centre for East European Studies (Forschungsstelle Osteuropa) and lecturer in comparative politics at the University of Bremen, Germany. His major research interest is the role of non-state actors in political decision-making processes and the resulting impact on political regimes.Utilizing a wide range of empirical cases, the contributions in this volume highlight the different aspects of the role, development, and societal background of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe. The first part of the book deals with dissent under socialism. The second part of the book looks at the role of civil society in the Western Balkans in the context of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and the related ethnic conflicts. The third part examines the role of civil society in the post-Soviet region, which is marked by authoritarian tendencies. The fourth part returns to Central Eastern Europe with an analysis of the impact of EU accession on the role of civil society and considers the underlying aspects of a 'common European memory'. The final section of the book looks at two cases—one from Central Eastern Europe, one from the CIS region—of political participation and lobbying by civil society organizations.The collection Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe highlights a fact that the debate about a European civil society often neglects: The civil societies in the countries of Middle and Eastern Europe are relatively young and the experience of an authoritarian regime still fresh.Foreword
Part I. Dissent Under Socialism
1. Smashing Concrete with Words. The Central European 'Dissidents', Their Representations and Discourses, by Kacper Szulecki
2. The Second Life of the Polish Art World in the Eighties, by Patryk Wasiak
Part II. Civil Society and Ethnic Divisions. The Case oflƒ8