This book argues that the recent political mobilizations in Eastern Europe have been underpinned by a class struggle between a more conservative and a more radical line of contention. The latter line, the book contends, is designed by and for subaltern groups whose anti-systemic programme calls for not just the eradication of corruption, but for more participatory forms of democracy, for social justice, and for freedom from want. The former, on the other hand, is designed by powerful groups of intellectuals, for the middle classes whom the intellectuals see as the historical strata capable of advancing the ‘catch-up’ projects of modernization and Europeanization which they zealously champion. Based on a critical examination of recent political struggles, including a detailed case study of the 2013 protests in Bulgaria which focuses particularly on their internal antagonisms and drawing on the social theories of Antonio Gramsci and Ernst Bloch, the book provides shrewd insights into class antagonisms in political mobilizations, the distortive nature of ideological constructions and utopian longings, and the factors which propel many people to support projects for social change.
ISBN: | 9780367438548 |
Publication date: | 30th September 2021 |
Author: | Veronika Stoyanova |
Publisher: | Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis Ltd |
Format: | Paperback |
Pagination: | 200 pages |
Series: | BASEES/Routledge Series on Russian and East European Studies |
Genres: |
Pressure groups, protest movements and non-violent action Political ideologies and movements |