Remains of Socialism: Memory and the Futures of the Past in Postsocialist Hungary

by Maya Nadkarni

Overview

In Remains of Socialism, Maya Nadkarni investigates the changing fates of the socialist past in postsocialist Hungary. She introduces the concept of "remains"—both physical objects and cultural remainders—to analyze all that Hungarians sought to leave behind after the end of state socialism.

Spanning more than two decades of postsocialist transformation, Remains of Socialism follows Hungary from the optimism of the early years of transition to its recent right-wing turn toward illiberal democracy. Nadkarni analyzes remains that range from exiled statues of Lenin to the socialist-era "Bambi" soda, and from discredited official histories to the scandalous secrets of the communist regime's informers. She deftly demonstrates that these remains were far more than simply the leftovers of an unwanted past. Ultimately, the struggles to define remains of socialism and settle their fates would represent attempts to determine the future—and to mourn futures that never materialized.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501750199
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	07/15/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	252
File size:	27 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Maya Nadkarni is Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Swarthmore College.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Banishing Remains
2. The Hole in the Flag
3. Nostalgia and the Remains of Everyday Life
4. Recovering National Victimhood at the House of Terror
5. Secrets, Inheritance, and a Generation's Remains
6. A Past Returned, A Future Deferred
Conclusion

What People are Saying About This

Marko Živković

Remains of Socialism is an extremely well-written book, that interweaves film analysis with analysis of public events, spatial practices, public institutions, everyday objects, fictional and non-fictional literature and words of people from a variety of social positions in order to distill an argument about something difficult to wrap our minds around—our confusing temporalities.

Heldt prize for best book by a woman-identifying scholar in any area of Slavic

"Multi-layered, intimate, and insightful on many levels, this remarkable and beautifully written book sets a new standard in the field of memory studies."

Honorable Mention for the Heldt Prize (Best book by a woman-identifying scholar in any area of Slavi

Multi-layered, intimate, and insightful on many levels, this remarkable and beautifully written book sets a new standard in the field of memory studies.

Jessica Greenberg

Remains of Socialism is a beautifully crafted, well-argued book that offers original insight into postsocialism and the politics of memory. Through lyrical prose and careful analysis, Nadkarni makes clear that the stakes of remembering our past are tied not only to making sense of our present. The continued legacy of socialist remains also shape how we might chart collective futures.

Editorial Reviews

Nadkarni is a superbly well-informed anthropologist. It is almost a hopeless endeavor to scrutinize her text for factual inaccuracies, misunderstandings, or mistranslations. Her grasp of both the language and the gestures of her interviewees likely finds those anthropologists struggling to make sense of the production of meaning in their field research envious.

Austrian History Yearbook

[Remains of Socialism] constitute[s] highly valuable contributions to the literature on the memory of the socialist past and the elements of nostalgia and retro in this memory. [The book] also offer[s] a new, more reflective, analytical reading of nostalgia.

H-Soz-Kult

Remains of Socialism is an examination of 'mature' postsocialism that aptly demonstrates the ongoing disciplinary relevance of the region. Nadkarni offers her astute observations in clear, confident, accessible prose.

American Anthropologist

Multi-layered, intimate, and insightful on many levels, this remarkable and beautifully written book sets a new standard in the field of memory studies.

Association for Women in Slavic Studies

Remains of Socialism is an examination of 'mature' postsocialism that aptly demonstrates the ongoing disciplinary relevance of the region. Nadkarni offers her astute observations in clear, confident, accessible prose.

-- "American Anthropologist"

[Remains of Socialism] constitute[s] highly valuable contributions to the literature on the memory of the socialist past and the elements of nostalgia and retro in this memory. [The book] also offer[s] a new, more reflective, analytical reading of nostalgia.

-- "H-Soz-Kult"

Multi-layered, intimate, and insightful on many levels, this remarkable and beautifully written book sets a new standard in the field of memory studies.

-- "Association for Women in Slavic Studies"

Nadkarni is a superbly well-informed anthropologist. It is almost a hopeless endeavor to scrutinize her text for factual inaccuracies, misunderstandings, or mistranslations. Her grasp of both the language and the gestures of her interviewees likely finds those anthropologists struggling to make sense of the production of meaning in their field research envious.

-- "Austrian History Yearbook"

From the Publisher

"Remains of Socialism is an examination of 'mature' postsocialism that aptly demonstrates the ongoing disciplinary relevance of the region. Nadkarni offers her astute observations in clear, confident, accessible prose."

Heldt prize for best book by a woman-identifying scholar in any area of Slavic