Katherine Verdery Books

Katherine Verdery is a distinguished anthropologist whose work delves deeply into the political economy, ethnic relations, and nationalism, with a focus on the Romanian context. Her research has evolved from examining social inequality to analyzing the transformative processes following the fall of socialism, particularly concerning shifts in property relations within agriculture. Verdery explores how these changes manifest within communities, dissecting the complex issues of ownership and value in a postsocialist landscape. Her extensive projects uncover the dynamics of collective and state farm formation and their profound impacts on rural populations.

What Was Socialism, and What Comes Next?

What Was Socialism, and What Comes Next?
316 pages
12 hours of reading
3.9(54)Add rating
Katherine Verdery offers a unique anthropological perspective on the aftermath of Soviet-style socialism in Eastern Europe through a collection of essays. Drawing from her extensive ethnographic research in Romania and Transylvania, she examines the implications of political transformations, focusing on themes like civil society, market economy creation, privatization, national and ethnic conflicts, and evolving gender relations. Her work synthesizes primary data and broader sources to deepen the understanding of socialism's legacy and its potential replacements.
National Ideology Under Socialism
The current transformation of many Eastern European societies is impossible to understand without comprehending the intellectual struggles surrounding nationalism in the region. Anthropologist Katherine Verdery shows how the example of Romania suggests that current ethnic tensions come not from a resurrection of pre-Communist Nationalism but from the strengthening of national ideologies under Communist Party rule.

What Was Socialism, and What Comes Next?

National Ideology Under Socialism