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"The volume examines the formation and transformation of the memory of communism in the post-communist period. The majority of the articles focus on memory practices in the post-Stalinist era in Bulgaria and Romania, with occasional references to the cases of Poland and the GDR. Based on an interdisciplinary approach, including history, anthropology, cultural studies and sociology, the volume, examines the mechanisms and processes that influence, determine and mint the private and public memory of communism in the post-1989 era. Common denominator to all essays is the emphasis on the process of remembering in the present, and the modalities by means of which the present perspective shapes processes of remembering, including practices of commemoration and representation of the past. As a result, the analyses point at the sociopolitical factors and societal processes that help construct, transform, stabilize and finally canonize past memory. Due to its interdisciplinary character and the wide range of methodological and theoretical approaches presented, the volume offers a broad and varied kaleidoscope of memorial practices in a variety of milieus of post-communist societies, from school to the internet. The volume deals with eight major thematic blocks revisiting specific practices in communism such as popular culture and everyday life, childhood, labor, the secret police, the perception of 'the system' and others. The analyses highlight occasionally similarities and differences between the two principal case studies, resulting in the end effect in the observation of a significant divergence in the memory of communism between the two neighboring countries"--Provided by publisher

Drawing inspiration from the work of Maria Todorova, Re-Imagining the Balkans displays the breadth of Balkan Studies today in twenty-nine chapters authored by a diverse, interdisciplinary group of scholars. The volume seeks to address how to incorporate the regions of East and Southeast Europe into broader scholarly trends and epistemological currents, while retaining local and regional expertise. The contributions include new research on historical legacies, (geo)politics, generations, memory, and cultural transfers, fresh methodological and historiographical interventions, and novel pedagogical insights. Collectively, the authors display cutting-edge knowledge, orient the general reader in the state of the field, and demonstrate the importance of Southeast Europe for the study of European, transnational, and global history