Replaying Communism
Trauma and Nostalgia in European Cultural Production
Lucy Jeffery editor Anna Váradi editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Pallas Publications
Publishing:24th Dec '25
£122.00
This title is due to be published on 24th December, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Repercussions of communism are still felt throughout Central and Eastern Europe. In fact, specters of communism remain vivid enough to inspire a wide range of contemporary cultural production, from video games to museum exhibits. This volume demonstrates how the region remains in a state of transitioning away from communism, not having secured a fully post-communist identity.
The volume adopts an interdisciplinary approach to extend debates on the lasting impact of the communist era across Central and Eastern Europe with chapters thematically threaded through concepts including curation, immersion, interaction, humor and authenticity. A ‘trauma/nostalgia paradigm’ emerges as the tissue connecting the plurality of post-communist efforts employed to address the region’s contested pasts. Twelve original essays by contributors from both ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ the region detail how twenty-first-century cultural productions reengage the communist past. The impact of this past is seen as fundamental to understanding and shaping Central and Eastern European identities.
“A must read for anyone interested in the contemporary resonance of communism and the dynamic of public history and heritage in Central and Eastern Europe.”
- Sabina Mihelj, Professor of Media and Cultural Analysis, Loughborough University, UK
“Replaying Communism is an invaluable contribution to the study of memory and trauma in post-socialist societies.”
- Gerard Delanty, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Sussex University, UK
“It is terribly difficult to be a successful opposition party today. One must accumulate a wide variety of knowledge, and this excellent volume can help with this.”
- Gábor Demszky, Mayor of Budapest (1990–2010) and founding member of The Alliance of Free Democrats Hungarian Liberal Party
“Replaying Communism’s theoretical underpinnings of the trauma/nostalgia paradigm can fruitfully serve as a template beyond the regional coverage of the volume.”
- Maria Todorova, Professor Emerita at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, US
“This volume provides a compelling intervention in contemporary memory studies.”
- David Clarke, Professor of Modern German Studies, Cardiff University, UK
“Replaying Communism is a compelling examination of the interplay of nostalgia and trauma that determines how contemporary cultural productions re-imagine the communist era.”
- Maya Nadkarni, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Swarthmore College, US
ISBN: 9789048574322
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 710g
298 pages