Repatriating Karl Polanyi Market Society in the Visegrád States

Karl Polanyi’s “substantivist” critique of market society has found new popularity in the era of neoliberal globalization. The author reclaims this polymath for contemporary anthropology, especially economic anthropology, in the context of Central Europe, where Polanyi (1886–1964) grew up. The Polanyian approach illuminates both the communist era, in particular the “market socialist” economy which evolved under János Kádár in Hungary, as well as the post-communist transformations of property relations, civil society and ethno-national identities throughout the region. Hann’s analyses are based primarily on his own ethnographic investigations in Hungary and South-East Poland. They are pertinent to the rise of neo-nationalism in those countries, which is theorized as a malign countermovement to the domination of the market. At another level, Hann’s adaptation of Polanyi’s social philosophy points beyond current political turbulence to an original concept of “social Eurasia”. Karl Polanyi's "substantivist" critique of market society has renewed topicality in the era of neoliberal globalization. Polanyi (1886-1964) is popular among critical theorists and radical political economists, but also with ecological activists, anti-globalization campaigners and all who sense that ongoing financial turmoil is symptomatic of a deeper crisis threatening the compatibility of capitalism and democracy. The author reclaims the polymath Karl Polanyi for contemporary anthropology, especially economic anthropology. The book furthermore takes his ideas back to Central Europe, where he grew up. The Polanyian approach is applied to the communist economy, with particular reference to the "market socialist" economy which evolved under János Kádár in Hungary. The same lens is used to investigate the consequences of the demise of communist power since 1990, primarily on the basis of ethnographic investigations in Hungary and South-East Poland. Stretching the discussion on Polanyi's great transformation -- for which there is considerable international interest -- in the context of neoliberalization onto the concept of Eurasia, and then bringing this into conversation with the rise of neo-nationalism in Hungary and Poland and beyond as the form that the great transformation is currently taking in the region, relates Hann's work powerfully to the current political turbulence Table of Contents List of Illustrations Preface: Forwards (n)ever! Note Acknowledgements Chapter One Introduction: Karl Polanyi and the Transformations of Socialism and Postsocialism Chapter Two Market Principle, Marketplace and the Transition in Eastern Europe Chapter Three From Production to Property: Land Tenure and Citizenship in Rural Hungary Chapter Four A New Double Movement? Anthropological Perspectives on Property in the Age of Neoliberalism Chapter Five Awkward Classes in Rural Eurasia Chapter Six Civil Society at the Grassroots: A Reactionary View Chapter Seven Socialism and King Stephen’s Right Hand Chapter Eight Ethnicity in the New Civil Society: Lemko-Ukrainians in Poland Chapter Nine Postsocialist Nationalism: Rediscovering the Past in Southeast Poland Chapter Ten Polish Civil Society, the Greek Catholic Minority, and Fortress Europe Chapter Eleven The Visegrád Condition (Freedom and Slavery in the Neoliberal World) Chapter Twelve Conclusion: Building Social Eurasia References Index

Karl Polanyi's "substantivist" critique of market society has found new popularity in the era of neoliberal globalization. The author reclaims this polymath for contemporary anthropology, especially economic anthropology, in the context of Central Europe, where Polanyi (1886–1964) grew up. The Polanyian approach illuminates both the communist era, in particular the "market socialist" economy which evolved under János Kádár in Hungary, as well as the post-communist transformations of property relations, civil society and ethno-national identities throughout the region.Hann's analyses are based primarily on his own ethnographic investigations in Hungary and South-East Poland. They are pertinent to the rise of neo-nationalism in those countries, which is theorized as a malign countermovement to the domination of the market. At another level, Hann's adaptation of Polanyi's social philosophy points beyond current political turbulence to an original concept of "social Eurasia".