International conference

International conference
"The End of Transition?"
January 16-17 2009, University of Aarhus, Denmark.

Analytical and local understandings of ‘transition’ in post socialist space
In the early nineties, the concept of ‘transition’ became a much used
framework for describing the phase the former socialist countries had
entered: a phase that was supposedly leading the countries from
socialism, plan economy and dictatorship to democracy, market economy
and globalization. Over the years, scholars working in the region
began to criticise the concept, its neo-evolutionist connotations and
lack of analytical value when it came to actual processes of change
taking place in the post socialist countries. However, although being
abandoned little by little by within academia, the concept is still
widely used locally, both in political rhetoric and on an everyday
level, among ‘ordinary citizens’. This conference aims to examine the
social lives of the transition concept. We pose the question of
whether we should continue to use the term when analysing the social,
political and economical processes in the post-socialist world. If so,
how should it be defined or measured? How does the analytical
concept ‘transition’ as used in the social sciences differ from the
way it is used by local actors across the post socialist world? In
short, we call for papers that investigate the concept of ‘transition’
and its social life in academia, among political advisors, as well
among the people who are presumably undergoing ‘transition’.

The conference will take place at the University of Aarhus in Denmark
on January 16-17 2009. Following the conference, the accepted papers
will be considered for a publication on the theme.

Key note speakers:
Valeri Bunce, Cornell University
Caroline Humphrey, Cambridge University
Steven Sampson, Lund University
Laszlo Bruszt, European University Institute

Send your abstract (not exceeding 250 words) to etnmdf@hum.au.dk
Deadline for abstracts: 1.10.2008

For more information please contact etnmdf@hum.au.dk