商品詳細

Recent sociological debates on classes have touched upon Eastern Europe. Old analyses of social stratification under conditions of socialism, are now more or less irrelevant, given the current situations. But what are the implications for Eastern Europe in general? Are new social classes in the making in eastern Europe? Are there signs of a withering away of class issues? How do different classes organize their lives, and what kind of political strategies do they adopt in East and West? This volume includes not only empirical analyses, but also brings together different theoretical perspectives on social classes and stratification in East and West. Some of the assumptions of mainstream sociology regarding the death of social class in Eastern Europe are challenged in the articles presented here. The book presents a multidisciplinary approach, providing descriptions of entrepreneurs, managers and professionals, highlighting economic, sociological and political aspects of their situation. The class structure in East and West is analyzed comparatively at different levels of class analysis. The book has three main aims: firstly to bring Eastern Europe into the class debate; secondly to bring new moral and political issues into scientific and political discussion on social structure; and thirdly, to bring together a variety of theoretical and empirical analyses for a better understanding of the many ways in which classes and class practices are produced.