The Handbook of Political, Social, and Economic Transformation, 2019
Social institutions and governmental regimes are systems of action structured by values and norms... more Social institutions and governmental regimes are systems of action structured by values and norms. Within these systems, self-conscious actors communicate with each other using different material and symbolic resources. The systems develop and change in response to new knowledge, altered allocations of resources, and changes in values and institutions. ‘Transformation’ analyses radical systemic change from the intentional policy point of view while ‘transition’ describes the historical path along which such change is taking place. The pragmatic design of positive institutions, which is at the basis of the concept of transformation, is historically a rather recent phenomenon. Although these concepts gained prominence only with the great turnaround of 1989/90, they have a prehistory in social theory (Marx, Menger, Weber, Schumpeter, and Polanyi, for instance) and in historical development (the French and the Russian revolutions, Meiji Restoration, post-Civil War United States, for ins...
<p>As a practice of meaning making in society, discourse points to important dimensions of ... more <p>As a practice of meaning making in society, discourse points to important dimensions of social and historical change. This chapter discusses examples of discourse research on social transformation in Central and Eastern Europe. It shows how methods from linguistic, semiotic, and cultural theory can be used to account for a changing social order (e.g., how change is narrated in Russia during the perestroika period or how Eastern Germans are represented in Western media discourse after the reunification). Against a background in Discourse Studies, we put special emphasis on macrosociological views of discursive change, which one can find, for instance, in Foucault's power/knowledge approach, Laclau/Mouffian hegemony analysis, and Critical Discourse Analysis. The chapter concludes by pointing out the strengths as well as the limits of discourse research, which is based on the idea that language not only represents social realities but, through representation, also contributes to creating them.</p>
<p>Social inequality means the existence of social status groups and, therefore, a normativ... more <p>Social inequality means the existence of social status groups and, therefore, a normatively embedded structure of social stratification. This chapter deals with social inequalities and their dynamics as conditional and causal factors and as results of processes of radical change. Concerning the first aspect, the chapter discusses social class inequalities and dynamics of (absolute) impoverishment, relative deprivation, and rising expectations among certain social groups that may determine 'transformative' pressure or even revolutionary situations. Regarding the impact of social transformations on social inequalities, the chapter suggests that the more radical and complex the social transformations, the greater are their effects on social structures and regimes of social inequality. This thesis is underpinned by providing empirical findings on social mobility and income inequality in different historical waves and (sub-)types of transformation. Finally, the chapter identifies seven crucial bundles of factors determining the extent of income inequality as an outcome of current societal transformations and their characteristics.</p>
<p>Modernization theories represent one of the most important and most controversial approa... more <p>Modernization theories represent one of the most important and most controversial approaches in transformation research. After their golden age in the 1950s and 1960s, they came under pressure by alternative approaches like World-Systems Analysis or actor-centred transition approaches. But modernization theories have experienced a renaissance with the epochal threshold of 1989/90 and the subsequent wave of democratization. Today, three major currents can be identified: neo-evolutionist approaches, structuralist modernization theory, and the approach of multiple modernities or comparative historical sociology. They consider transformation as a specific type of accelerated transition of traditional, partly, or alternatively modernized societies to hegemonic social modernity. Although all approaches have elaborated an explanatory interpretation framework for empirical analysis often combining various social levels, dimensions, and factors (like structures and actors, or economic and cultural factors), there is considerable need for further research and self-reflection concerning normative foundations, causal mechanisms, and their empirical operationalization, as well as 'postmodern' challenges.</p>
The Handbook of Political, Social, and Economic Transformation, 2019
This chapter considers post-socialist or postcommunist transformations as a subtype and historica... more This chapter considers post-socialist or postcommunist transformations as a subtype and historical wave of imitative societal transformations, i.e., system changes taking the form of disruptive, accelerated, and politically steered modernization projects which follow successful models of society in the framework of global hegemonies. Focusing on an international comparative overview of post-socialist change in the Second World system, i.e., the countries and union republics within the Soviet Empire, the chapter begins with a discussion of dynamics and factors of state socialism’s decline. Subsequently, it problematizes key dimensions, actors, and dilemmatic processes of the transitional phase in the narrow sense, concentrating on the political and economic spheres. Finally, the chapter deals with the long-term period of structuration and its ambivalent character, which includes a discussion of varieties and innovative aspects of postcommunism as well as post-transformative challenges.
Der Beitrag beschaftigt sich mit der Reprasentation von Ostdeutschen in den Eliten Gesamtdeutschl... more Der Beitrag beschaftigt sich mit der Reprasentation von Ostdeutschen in den Eliten Gesamtdeutschlands und der neuen Lander. Ausgehend von einem funktionalen Begriff, der Eliten als Entscheidungstrager innerhalb von Institutionen und Organisationen versteht (Positionseliten), wird ein Uberblick uber den Anteil von Menschen mit ostdeutschem Hintergrund in verschiedenen gesellschaftlichen Funktionsbereichen (Sektoren) gegeben. Wahrend innerhalb der politischen Mandatstrager*innen (politische Exekutivelite) eine relativ hohe Reprasentation beobachtet werden kann, ist diese etwa in den Elitesektoren Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft schwacher ausgepragt. Die anhaltend ungleiche Verteilung wird mit spezifischen Rekrutierungslogiken in den Eliten erklart; unter anderem sind weiterhin die Folgen der Vereinigung und der Zugang zu Netzwerken relevant.
The article tries to deliver a sketch of a particular theoretical position on the subject of tran... more The article tries to deliver a sketch of a particular theoretical position on the subject of transformation. This position is a sociological one, and more concrete: a position of a historical-sociological theory of societal transformations. Even under this limitation, the following theoretical considerations must confine themselves to the outline of a conceptual framework. It starts with the definition of societal transformations (1.) and goes on with the discussion of focal points and theoretical-methodological tools of the approach (2.). Then some concrete contributions of the approach for the analysis of CEE with respect to the socio-economic processes and problems will be presented (3.). The last part (4.) deals briefly with the question, whether we need a distinguished theory of post-communist capitalism.
Der Beitrag analysiert Geschichte, Status quo und Zukunftschancen der Ostdeutschland- und Vereini... more Der Beitrag analysiert Geschichte, Status quo und Zukunftschancen der Ostdeutschland- und Vereinigungsforschung. Die Ostdeutschlandforschung zeigt eine eigentumliche Verlaufskurve. Anders als gemeinhin angenommen, brach sie nicht bereits Mitte der 1990er ein, sondern hatte ihr Allzeithoch in der Anzahl der Publikationen und Forschungsprojekte erst Ende der 1990er Jahre, Anfang des neuen Jahrhunderts. Andererseits fallt der anschliesende Abschwung (2004-2008) weniger radikal aus, als oft unterstellt wird. Seit Jahren sieht sich die Ostdeutschlandforschung mit Legitimationsproblemen konfrontiert, die sich sowohl auf den Gegenstand (Ostdeutschland als schwindendes Problem) wie auf die Sterilitat und den Konservatismus der Forschung beziehen. Der Aufsatz widerlegt beide Annahmen. Behauptet wird die hohe Relevanz einer »neuen Ostdeutschlandforschung« nicht nur fur die kritische Aufklarung des »doppelten Umbruchs« in den neuen Bundeslandern, sondern auch zukunftiger Entwicklungspfade in g...
The article explores the current theoretical debates on postcommunist transformations. After iden... more The article explores the current theoretical debates on postcommunist transformations. After identifying important novel or reinvigorated approaches, three of them are critically discussed: the postcommunism approach, the governance approach, and the Europeanisation approach. The examination leads to the result that, indeed, a ‘second generationʼ has emerged. It has largely overcome universalistic assumptions and gained explanatory power by more complex theoretical architectures as well as systematic time-space-embeddings or contextualisations. A final consideration makes the case for interdisciplinary and general theories of societal transformations as a necessary step in the advancement of the debate.
The Handbook of Political, Social, and Economic Transformation, 2019
Social institutions and governmental regimes are systems of action structured by values and norms... more Social institutions and governmental regimes are systems of action structured by values and norms. Within these systems, self-conscious actors communicate with each other using different material and symbolic resources. The systems develop and change in response to new knowledge, altered allocations of resources, and changes in values and institutions. ‘Transformation’ analyses radical systemic change from the intentional policy point of view while ‘transition’ describes the historical path along which such change is taking place. The pragmatic design of positive institutions, which is at the basis of the concept of transformation, is historically a rather recent phenomenon. Although these concepts gained prominence only with the great turnaround of 1989/90, they have a prehistory in social theory (Marx, Menger, Weber, Schumpeter, and Polanyi, for instance) and in historical development (the French and the Russian revolutions, Meiji Restoration, post-Civil War United States, for ins...
<p>As a practice of meaning making in society, discourse points to important dimensions of ... more <p>As a practice of meaning making in society, discourse points to important dimensions of social and historical change. This chapter discusses examples of discourse research on social transformation in Central and Eastern Europe. It shows how methods from linguistic, semiotic, and cultural theory can be used to account for a changing social order (e.g., how change is narrated in Russia during the perestroika period or how Eastern Germans are represented in Western media discourse after the reunification). Against a background in Discourse Studies, we put special emphasis on macrosociological views of discursive change, which one can find, for instance, in Foucault's power/knowledge approach, Laclau/Mouffian hegemony analysis, and Critical Discourse Analysis. The chapter concludes by pointing out the strengths as well as the limits of discourse research, which is based on the idea that language not only represents social realities but, through representation, also contributes to creating them.</p>
<p>Social inequality means the existence of social status groups and, therefore, a normativ... more <p>Social inequality means the existence of social status groups and, therefore, a normatively embedded structure of social stratification. This chapter deals with social inequalities and their dynamics as conditional and causal factors and as results of processes of radical change. Concerning the first aspect, the chapter discusses social class inequalities and dynamics of (absolute) impoverishment, relative deprivation, and rising expectations among certain social groups that may determine 'transformative' pressure or even revolutionary situations. Regarding the impact of social transformations on social inequalities, the chapter suggests that the more radical and complex the social transformations, the greater are their effects on social structures and regimes of social inequality. This thesis is underpinned by providing empirical findings on social mobility and income inequality in different historical waves and (sub-)types of transformation. Finally, the chapter identifies seven crucial bundles of factors determining the extent of income inequality as an outcome of current societal transformations and their characteristics.</p>
<p>Modernization theories represent one of the most important and most controversial approa... more <p>Modernization theories represent one of the most important and most controversial approaches in transformation research. After their golden age in the 1950s and 1960s, they came under pressure by alternative approaches like World-Systems Analysis or actor-centred transition approaches. But modernization theories have experienced a renaissance with the epochal threshold of 1989/90 and the subsequent wave of democratization. Today, three major currents can be identified: neo-evolutionist approaches, structuralist modernization theory, and the approach of multiple modernities or comparative historical sociology. They consider transformation as a specific type of accelerated transition of traditional, partly, or alternatively modernized societies to hegemonic social modernity. Although all approaches have elaborated an explanatory interpretation framework for empirical analysis often combining various social levels, dimensions, and factors (like structures and actors, or economic and cultural factors), there is considerable need for further research and self-reflection concerning normative foundations, causal mechanisms, and their empirical operationalization, as well as 'postmodern' challenges.</p>
The Handbook of Political, Social, and Economic Transformation, 2019
This chapter considers post-socialist or postcommunist transformations as a subtype and historica... more This chapter considers post-socialist or postcommunist transformations as a subtype and historical wave of imitative societal transformations, i.e., system changes taking the form of disruptive, accelerated, and politically steered modernization projects which follow successful models of society in the framework of global hegemonies. Focusing on an international comparative overview of post-socialist change in the Second World system, i.e., the countries and union republics within the Soviet Empire, the chapter begins with a discussion of dynamics and factors of state socialism’s decline. Subsequently, it problematizes key dimensions, actors, and dilemmatic processes of the transitional phase in the narrow sense, concentrating on the political and economic spheres. Finally, the chapter deals with the long-term period of structuration and its ambivalent character, which includes a discussion of varieties and innovative aspects of postcommunism as well as post-transformative challenges.
Der Beitrag beschaftigt sich mit der Reprasentation von Ostdeutschen in den Eliten Gesamtdeutschl... more Der Beitrag beschaftigt sich mit der Reprasentation von Ostdeutschen in den Eliten Gesamtdeutschlands und der neuen Lander. Ausgehend von einem funktionalen Begriff, der Eliten als Entscheidungstrager innerhalb von Institutionen und Organisationen versteht (Positionseliten), wird ein Uberblick uber den Anteil von Menschen mit ostdeutschem Hintergrund in verschiedenen gesellschaftlichen Funktionsbereichen (Sektoren) gegeben. Wahrend innerhalb der politischen Mandatstrager*innen (politische Exekutivelite) eine relativ hohe Reprasentation beobachtet werden kann, ist diese etwa in den Elitesektoren Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft schwacher ausgepragt. Die anhaltend ungleiche Verteilung wird mit spezifischen Rekrutierungslogiken in den Eliten erklart; unter anderem sind weiterhin die Folgen der Vereinigung und der Zugang zu Netzwerken relevant.
The article tries to deliver a sketch of a particular theoretical position on the subject of tran... more The article tries to deliver a sketch of a particular theoretical position on the subject of transformation. This position is a sociological one, and more concrete: a position of a historical-sociological theory of societal transformations. Even under this limitation, the following theoretical considerations must confine themselves to the outline of a conceptual framework. It starts with the definition of societal transformations (1.) and goes on with the discussion of focal points and theoretical-methodological tools of the approach (2.). Then some concrete contributions of the approach for the analysis of CEE with respect to the socio-economic processes and problems will be presented (3.). The last part (4.) deals briefly with the question, whether we need a distinguished theory of post-communist capitalism.
Der Beitrag analysiert Geschichte, Status quo und Zukunftschancen der Ostdeutschland- und Vereini... more Der Beitrag analysiert Geschichte, Status quo und Zukunftschancen der Ostdeutschland- und Vereinigungsforschung. Die Ostdeutschlandforschung zeigt eine eigentumliche Verlaufskurve. Anders als gemeinhin angenommen, brach sie nicht bereits Mitte der 1990er ein, sondern hatte ihr Allzeithoch in der Anzahl der Publikationen und Forschungsprojekte erst Ende der 1990er Jahre, Anfang des neuen Jahrhunderts. Andererseits fallt der anschliesende Abschwung (2004-2008) weniger radikal aus, als oft unterstellt wird. Seit Jahren sieht sich die Ostdeutschlandforschung mit Legitimationsproblemen konfrontiert, die sich sowohl auf den Gegenstand (Ostdeutschland als schwindendes Problem) wie auf die Sterilitat und den Konservatismus der Forschung beziehen. Der Aufsatz widerlegt beide Annahmen. Behauptet wird die hohe Relevanz einer »neuen Ostdeutschlandforschung« nicht nur fur die kritische Aufklarung des »doppelten Umbruchs« in den neuen Bundeslandern, sondern auch zukunftiger Entwicklungspfade in g...
The article explores the current theoretical debates on postcommunist transformations. After iden... more The article explores the current theoretical debates on postcommunist transformations. After identifying important novel or reinvigorated approaches, three of them are critically discussed: the postcommunism approach, the governance approach, and the Europeanisation approach. The examination leads to the result that, indeed, a ‘second generationʼ has emerged. It has largely overcome universalistic assumptions and gained explanatory power by more complex theoretical architectures as well as systematic time-space-embeddings or contextualisations. A final consideration makes the case for interdisciplinary and general theories of societal transformations as a necessary step in the advancement of the debate.
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