Uffe Østergaard reviews Sven Eliaeson & Nadezhda Georgieva (eds.) New Europe: Growth to Limits?

Using the classics to understand Europe in the present Identity, borders, and politics

Review of: Sven Eliaeson & Nadezhda Georgieva (eds.) New Europe: Growth to Limits? Oxford: The Bardwell Press 2010, 454 pages

The book contains contributions from the third in a series of symposia held in honor of the late Polish sociologist Edmund Mokrzycki (1937—2001). The volume is the brainchild of the extremely imaginative Swedish sociologist Sven Eliaeson, of Uppsala University. Eliaeson has worked for years in Warsaw, which has inspired his efforts to bring Polish research and policy into the European mainstream, where it so obviously belongs. Communism and the Soviet Union never managed to regiment Polish society, although the nearly fifty years of repression after the widespread devastation of World War II left deep wounds, wounds the country is only now beginning to overcome under Donald Tusk’s liberal-conservative government and a vibrant economy, one that survived the financial crisis surprisingly well. Despite all attempts at communist regimentation, Polish sociology and historical research held up well and maintained their independence to a surprising degree.

Published in the printed edition of Baltic Worlds pages 56-58, 2 2011, Published on balticworlds.com on juni 30, 2011