Original scientific paper
Area Studies and Eastern Europe: How Eastern Europe Collapsed
Mirjana Kasapović
; Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
In the first part, the author outlines the development of area studies in contemporary comparative politics, and points to their importance for the development of political science. In the second part, she examines the methodology – research design and methods – of regional comparatistics, paying particular attention to the problem of defining the region as a central category in this field of comparative politics. The third and central part is focused on the emergence of Eastern Europe as a historical-political and socio-cultural region in the course of history, especially after World War II, and on its dissolution in the processes of democratic transformation of communist regimes in the last two decades. The dissolution of Eastern Europe has resulted in restoration of a tripartite political geography in the area which it used to take up, made up of Central Europe, Southeast Europe and the proper Eastern Europe.
Keywords
area studies; region; communism; democratic transformation; Central Europe; Southeast Europe
Hrčak ID:
29113
URI
Publication date:
1.2.2008.
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