“After the End of History” Panel Discussion — Informal Economies, Capital, and the Collective

October 23 @ 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM (CT) via Zoom

Register here

The years that bookended the collapse of the Soviet Union were a time of great economic turmoil: perestroika and economic collapse rapidly gave way to privatization, new informal economies, and the rise of neoliberal capitalism. Panelists at this discussion, the first in a series sponsored by the After the End of History research project at the Neubauer Collegium, will consider the ultimate consequences of these transformations in economic life. How did they shape society, politics, and conceptions of the collective? And to what extent did this period of tumult influence the world we inhabit today?

Panelists

Nancy Condee, Professor of Slavic and Film Studies, University of Pittsburgh

Leah Feldman, Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Chicago

Yakov Feygin, Associate Director, Future of Capitalism, Berggruen Institute

Faith Hillis (moderator), Associate Professor of History, University of Chicago

Peter Rutland, Professor of Government, Wesleyan University

Philipp Ther, Professor of Central European History, University of Vienna

When Europe’s Communist regimes collapsed between 1989 and 1991, most observers hailed the spread of economic prosperity and liberal democracy across the continent. One commentator even predicted that the Communist collapse would bring about the “end of history,” ushering in an era of global peace and cultural convergence. It is now abundantly clear just how wrong these expectations were. This webinar series will catalyze an interdisciplinary dialogue about this period of profound transformation and work toward the creation of a new collective narrative of its meaning. Jettisoning old theories of democratic transition and cultural convergence, participants will approach this crucial period in history as an intense confrontation between models and ideas drawn from around the world. Emphasizing the importance of international exchange and circulation, they will document the emergence of a new form of regional politics that fused pernicious political and cultural ideas imported from the West, local traditions of national supremacy and xenophobia, and collective experiences of political and economic collapse. At the same time, the project will explore how these new cultural forms have been packaged and exported abroad, acquiring a visible role in EU and US politics.