Books published by Central European University Press

In Emotion and Devotion Miri Rubin explores the craft of the historian through a series of studies of medieval religious cultures. In three original chapters she approaches the medieval figure of the Virgin Mary with the aim of unravelling meaning and experience. Hymns and miracle tales, altarpieces and sermons ¿ a wide range of sources from many European regions ¿ are made to reveal the creativity and richness which they elicited in medieval people, women and men, clergy and laity, people of status and riches as well as those of modest means.

A collection of essays which offer insight into the development of modern conceptions of time, from the Christian dating system (BC/AD or BCE/CE) to the idea of "modernity" as an epoch in human history.

The last volume of the "Discourses of Collective Identity in Central and Southeast Europe, 1770 - 1945" presents 46 texts.

Presents an interpretative synthesis that challenges the self-centered and "isolationist" historical narratives and educational canons prevalent in the many countries of Central and Southeast Europe. This title aims to confront 'mainstream' and seemingly successful national discourses with each other.

Tells the story of Cezary Baryka, a young Pole who finds himself in Baku, Azerbaijan, then a predominantly Armenian city, as the Russian Revolution breaks out. He becomes embroiled in the chaos caused by the revolution, and barely escapes with his life. Then, he and his father set off on a horrendous journey west to reach Poland.

This study illuminates the problems connected with Hungary's transition to a civil society, while providing insights into the development of political culture and the rise of civic and national consciousness in Hungary over the last 150 years.

Hungarian art historian Eva Forgacs examines the development of the Bauhaus School of architecture and applied design by focusing on the idea of the Bauhaus, rather than its artefacts. She reinterprets that idea in the light of the antagonisms marring the first year of the German Republic.

A collection of first-person narratives by specialists in the field of education in South-East Europe. The contributors are recognized leaders in civil society, government, academia and schools. It chronicles the profound effect armed conflict, political transition, and the increasing openness the region has experienced on education.

This is the autobiographic account of the experiences of a woman, then 19-20, in the closing months of World War II. When it was first published, in 1991, the book was a revelation of past horrors in Hungary which, until then, had lingered on in the farthest reaches of the national memory as rumour and suspicion.

A discussion of the socio-historical problem areas related to the presence of Jews in major European societies from the 18th century to the present day. The approach is multi-disciplinary, mobilizing resources gained from sociology, demography and political science, based on substantial statistical information.

This book examines constitutional adjudication in the Visegrad Four: Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The creation of constitutional courts was one of major milestones in the re-creation of the democratic system in these countries.

A study of social transformation in central and eastern Europe after 1989. Focusing on Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Slovakia, the author provides comparative information relating to social structure, mobility, inequality, lifestyle and economic stratification.

This is the first volume of a series of three, containing 11 essays of altogether 43 articles based on the topics of the interdisciplinary conference held in Budapest in 1999.

Ludwik Rajchman, an exponent of humanitarian intervention and a defender of colonized people, inspired the creation of WHO and UNICEF. This biography, written by his great-granddaughter, uses family archives and documentary sources to tell the story of his life.

This volume of oral history contains new information about Stalin's actual and political "family", the political Mafia and the clans around him. The author has interviewed key politicians who survived the Stalin era.

A re-examination of Russia's agrarian history and failure to transform to a rapidly changing world economy. Using literary, agronomic and statistical information, peasant life is unravelled to demonstrate the inherent limits of farming at that time.

This history of Jewish negotiations with East Germany, regarding compensation for Nazi war crimes, examines the image of Jews in the historical consciousness and political culture of East Germany and the efforts of Jewish organizations to negotiate reparations with the East German state.

A collection of first-person narratives by specialists in the field of education in South-East Europe. The contributors are recognized leaders in civil society, government, academia and schools. It chronicles the profound effect armed conflict, political transition, and the increasing openness the region has experienced on education.

This study on 18th century Central Europe, examines the coexistence of the Austrian hereditary provinces and Hungary. Both partners in this ambivalent relationship collaborated in bringing about reforms in the Habsburg monarchy, which later inspired movements around East-Central Europe.

This is a translation of one of very few Russian serfs' memoirs. Savva Purlevskii recollects his life in Russian serfdom during 1800-31 and life of his grandparents, parents, and fellow villagers. He describes family and communal life and the serfs' daily interaction with landlords and state authorities.

This is the first book to document, analyze, and interpret the history of the Warsaw Pact based on the archives of the alliance itself. As suggested by the title, the Soviet bloc military machine that held the West in awe for most of the Cold War does not appear from the inside as formidable as outsiders often believed, nor were its strengths and weaknesses the same at different times in its surprisingly long history, extending for almost half a century.The introductory study by Mastny assesses the controversial origins of the "superfluous" alliance, its subsequent search for a purpose, its crisis and consolidation despite congenital weaknesses, as well as its unexpected demise.Most of the 193 documents included in the book were top secret and have only recently been obtained from Eastern European archives by the PHP project. The majority of the documents were translated specifically for this volume and have never appeared in English before.The introductory remarks to individual documents by co-editor Byrne explain the particular significance of each item. A chronology of the main events in the history of the Warsaw Pact, a list of its leading officials, a selective multilingual bibliography, and an analytical index add to the importance of a publication that sets the new standard as a reference work on the subject and facilitate its use by both students and general readers.

A collection of letters, written by a most extraordinary, and yet typical representative of east European intelligentsia, posted from Moscow, Mostar, and lately Paris and Rome, where the author has lived since he left war-torn Bosnia.

This book, like in classical times of Plato and Aristotle, treats individual and communal ethics as intertwined. At its heart lies the quartet of respect, concern for welfare of others, trust, and care as the basic communal ties. The community needs to be built on these. Acquisition and practice of other values and goods are within the frame of the four underlying "pillars." The four basic notions are attitudes and as such consist of both rational and emotional elements. Thus our ethics is neither based purely on sentiment nor purely on reason. As such they will yield us guidelines, to be filled in contextually, not rigid rule systems. Moravcsik's proposal for ethics is pluralistic but not relativistic. It does not deny some objective ground for sound communal life, but leaves many alternatives within which the four basic ties can be implemented.

A work in the relatively new field of economic sociology, the author claims that the publicity-driven "Gratis Economy", perhaps the greatest wealth creator in history, is integrating into the conventional non-profit sector.

This introduction to the concepts and principles shaping the philosophical debate around nationalism provides portraits of two kinds of nationalists: the tougher type, from everyday life, and the ultra-moderate "liberal nationalist", in academia, written from the perspective of Central and Eastern Europe based on the author's personal experience.

Covers the changing patterns of Russia's modern history from Peter the Great's westernization to the rise of new "irrational" philosophies in the early 20th century. Writer's and filmakers are analysed to uncover the nature of the metamorphosis within Russia's changing history and culture.