Newsletter - Social Science in Eastern Europe 1998-3
EDITORIAL
This second special issue of the Newsletter "Social Sciences in
Eastern Europe" continues the Social Science Information Centre's (IZ)
regular focus on Eastern European studies in the German-speaking region. This
year's Congress of Sociology, an Austrian-Swiss-German event on the general
topic of "border regions," offered a broad platform to give an
overview of social scientific researches on Eastern Europe. The co-operation
between IZ and the section of Eastern and Central Eastern European Sociology
within the German Society of Sociology, which began with the publication of a
special issue of the Newsletter in 1996, has been continued since and
this jointly planned and published special issue is another product of their
multifarious activities.
The 1996 special issue spotlighted contemporary social and political science
studies on Eastern Europe. This special issue covers a much wider range of
social science disciplines. In particular, the problem of mutual perception and
interdisciplinarity in the field of Eastern European studies enjoys a wide
interest. A look over the horizon of the own specific studies on Eastern Europe
should contribute to an interchange of ideas and a closer co-operation. For this
reason, IZ and the section of Eastern and Central Eastern European Sociology
asked representatives of several disciplines to give an overview of the projects
they focus on after the opening of Eastern Europe and which deficits exist.
Although perhaps incomplete, the presented surveys of the particular projects
reflect the strong need for an interdisciplinary exchange in the field of
Central and Eastern European studies. The contributions show that this need
refers to thematically differentiated research areas rather than to just
"transformation research." The contributions elucidate the main
topics.
The question of the state of affairs in contemporary Eastern European
research seems to "be up in the air." After its reunification, Germany
has also joined the discussion about the necessity or adequacy of social science
research on Eastern Europe. To justify the legitimacy of that extensive research
which, before 1989, was restricted to research centres specialised in this
field, the number of contributions on its state of affairs and efficiency has
been increased.
The topicality of the issue becomes obvious in the recently published double
edition of the "Osteuropa" journal dedicated to Wolf von Amerongen on
the occasion of his 80th birthday. Under the heading "Eastern European
Research Under Change?," the journal presents articles on Eastern European
research in the fields of political, regional, historical and economic sciences.
What can be just sketched out for some disciplines in this Newsletter -
despite a special issue edition - (to the dismay of the authors who fear this
restriction will lead to inadmissible cuts in and too much subjectivity of their
contributions) is being profoundly supplemented by the "Osteuropa"
journal. However, the rather short articles written for this Newsletter provide
a good insight into the major research foci as well as a quick overview. Here,
we would like to thank all authors for their self-discipline regarding the
extent of their contributions.
Our thanks also go to those authors who, on our request, dealt with Eastern
European contributions to the East-West co-operation in social sciences. For us
the Eastern European contributions - the provokingness of which already becomes
apparent in the question "Colonisation or partnership?" - are
particularly suitable for beginning an East-West debate on how social science
research relations are (can be) perceived not only by Eastern European but also
by Western scientists.
Moreover, this Newsletter shall set an example on what contribution
the infrastructure can make to further expand the already large research network
on Eastern Europe in the German-speaking region by providing information. Thus,
you will find in this edition up-to-date information about research projects and
literature on the topic of "Eastern border regions" from the IZ data
banks SOFIS and SOLIS. Here the Newsletter comes full circle with the
theme of this year's Congress of Sociology which was the reason for this special
issue.
Finally, a remark on the peculiarity of this extensive special issue: it is
an edition from the scientific community to the scientific community. The
editors of Newsletter have brought up this idea and they would like to
thank all for their immense help and co-operation. They see this edition as an
example of successful co-operation between researchers and their infrastructure.
By distributing this edition in print and via Internet and by translating it
into English, the IZ department Information Transfer Eastern Europe, now, takes
over the function of multiplication and transfer, also to Eastern Europe.
Yours editorial board
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