Intellectuals and Democracy in Eastern Europe

Studies in East European Thought, 2009

1995

It is simple and self-evident to refer to the "intelligentsia" when discussing the political and cultural history of Central and Eastern Europe. But to define the identity of this group of people, not to mention their function, is another matter. Whether we scan the indexes of scholarly books devoted to intellectual history or contemporary sociology in our search for a definition, or whether we question a series of "native culture bearers", those who identify themselves with the intelligentsia, we shall no doubt conclude that the intelligentsia as such is real enoughbut that most attempts at definition are at best intuitive. Nevertheless, those who study and discuss the cultural history of the countries of Eastern and Central Europe do accept the existence of the intelligentsia, defined as a group of

Theory and Society, 1992

The most prominent actor in the 1989 transformation of Eastern Europe has been the intelligentsia, a class whose basis for power is its control over a special form of teleological knowledge, and a culturally constituted group whose claim to authority is its historic role as leaders of East European nations. 2 In the wake of revolution they have in most places replaced the communist party and won political authority. In this article I explain the process through which the intelligentsia has apparently come to power, the character of its authority made in struggle, and what alternative futures post-communism might have for the prospects of the intelligentsia.

Acta Poloniae Historica, 2011

The fruitful nineteenth century almost simultaneously created the concepts of ‘history’, in its contemporary understanding, and of ‘intelligentsia’. Setting national history as the frame of reference, the intelligentsia put itself in the centre of its attention. With variations, its central position had remained unchanged for more than a century. Defi nitely, social history as well as sociology, of Marxist and non-Marxist models alike, treated intelligentsia as a universal concept. However, it hardly provided a basis for real comparisons or empirically applied transnational approach in research. And abandoning the framework of national history, the intelligentsia started to fade away like a rare fl ower, immediately losing its colour and scent, becoming pale and dry. There was nothing left but some abstract schemes, such as Karl Mannheim’s freischwebende Intelligenz.1 The empirical basis for comparisons has become more visible with the general shift of historical science fi rstly to...

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In: Donskis, Leonidas (ed.). 2012. Yet Another Europe after 1984. Leiden: Brill/Rodopi.

Aristotle defined as second nature those habits and customs which together make an identity, as distinct from the permanent attributes that go to make up human nature. Since the end of the cold war, globalization has taken off as a second human nature, even according to some theorists, the market mentality being intrinsic to the composition of the human being and capitalism being an essential feature of life on earth.

Re-Visiting Protests: New Approaches to Social Mobilization in Europe since 1945 eds. H.Kouki & E.Romanos, Berghahn Press, 2011

Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History, 2006