Mike Keen - Böcker

Eastern Europe in Transformation examines the history of sociology in Eastern Europe during the period leading up to and including glasnost and perestroika. Taking advantage of the raising of the iron curtain, the volume editors have assembled 25 contributors from throughout the region to chronicle the impact these developments have had on sociology, as well as any contributions sociologists might have made to them. The result is a fascinating account of a discipline under siege, struggling to come to terms with its place in a changing social milieu. In addition, the work offers Western sociologists unprecedented access to the sociological research carried out in Eastern Europe during this period.

It is now common knowledge that the FBI and its long-time director, J. Edgar Hoover, were responsible for the creation of a massive internal security apparatus that undermined the very principles of freedom and democracy they were sworn to protect. While no one was above suspicion, Hoover appears to have held a special disdain for sociologists and placed many of sociology's most prominent American figures under surveillance. Using documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, this volume portrays the FBI's stalking of the sociological imagination, offering a detailed account of its investigations within the context of an overview of the history of American sociology. This groundbreaking analysis of a previously hidden chapter of American intellectual history suggests that the activities of Hoover and the FBI marginalized critical sociologists such as W.E.B. Du Bois and C. Wright Mills, suppressed the development of a Marxist tradition in American sociology, and likely pushed the mainstream of the discipline away from a critique of American society and towards a more quantitative and scientific direction. The author also turns sociology back upon the FBI, using the writings and ideas of the very sociologists Hoover had under surveillance to examine and explain the excesses of the Bureau and its boss.

In this unique collection, more than 20 sociologists assembled from across Central and Eastern Europe chronicle the impact political transformation has had upon sociology during the last decade of the 20th century. Contributors investigate the general patterns this process has taken across the region, as well as the differences from one country to the next. Also examined is the extent to which sociology has contributed to or participated in the transformation, i.e., helped the societies of Central and Eastern Europe identify, understand, and respond to the challenges and opportunities offered by it. Of particular interest is the extensive bibliography of sociological research in Central and Eastern Europe carried out during this period of transition.

Autobiographies of Transformation is a completely unique history of sociology in Central and Eastern Europe in the post-Communist era. Through the autobiographies of ten key sociological witnesses from the region, the sociological imagination is turned upon itself, resulting in a compelling and revealing account of the struggles, triumphs, and continuing challenges faced. The sociologists examined fall into three cohorts: early, mid and late career. As participants, each of the sociologists included has witnessed the intersection of history and biography in Central and Eastern Europe. As sociologists, they have tried, and continue to try, to connect the two so that they and their fellow citizens may better understand their circumstances and the futures that may follow.This revealing book, ideal for students and researchers of sociology, and Central and Eastern Europe studies, provides powerful and compelling autobiographical accounts, relating them to the current interest in this area's transformation.