大学共同利用機関法人 人間文化研究機構　国立民族学博物館

Objectives

After the dissolution of the former Soviet Union in 1991, the areas of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and Mongolia all became what might be termed post-socialist. However, the paths taken by these various nations and regions have differed after the collapse of the socialist system, with each of these societies and cultures following its own distinctive evolutionary path. This trend became clear during the 2000s and in turn it has become difficult today to establish unitary frameworks for entire regions to match post-socialist conditions. Nevertheless, aftereffects from the era of socialism remain in each of these nations, so that common views and standpoints make it possible to analyze social trends. This research group, while focusing on changes in the lifestyle situations of people living in these post-socialist countries and regions, will also conduct comparative research on various social and cultural changes following post-socialism (or post-post-socialism) under 21st century political and economic conditions. Amidst the tremendous changes in political and economic conditions which have occurred from the 1990s through the 2000s, central governments have been strengthening their authority, disparities in economic growth and social status have widened, nation states have increasingly monopolized natural resources, governments are again seeking to craft historical consciousness, traditional culture is revived by policy, the EU and NATO have expanded to the east, relations with the United States have changed due to anti-terrorist policies, and some countries have seen either the maturation or collapse of democracy. This research group will engage in cross-regional comparisons to discover how in these changing conditions, people have experienced post-socialism and what the social environment has been generating for those living during the 2000s, how their societies and cultures have been transformed and what the motive forces behind these changes have been. By doing so, we hope to reconsider the significance of the previously existing system known as socialism for the living environment and to realign what might be termed the Slavic Eurasian region as an object of research.