East European Studies
Research Goals
The research group is engaged in the analysis of current political processes and developments in the countries of Eastern Europe (East Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe). The focus is on analysis of democracy, democratization and de-democratization, which inspires both the interest in theory building and public engagement. Members of the group use theoretical concepts and methods of political-science research on political parties, political culture, corruption, gender, international relations, as well as memory and ethno-national identity politics. Important research focuses on the transformation process after 1989, and the legacy of state socialism. The group cooperates closely with other social sciences and humanities disciplines.
An analytical principle is the problem-oriented comparison. This is the frame of reference to reflect critcally on "Western" democracies as well as the categories of "East" and "West". Interdependencies and transfer relations lie at the center of research interests.
The research group is integrated into the faculty's research focus on "Governance, democracy, solidarity" and also operates in an inter-and transdisciplinary context, such as at the former research platform “Vienna Forum of Eastern Europe“. In addition, the researchers have numerous cooperative relationships with academic institutions in Eastern Europe and research institutions around the world that focus on Eastern Europe studies.
Blog: http://eastblog.univie.ac.at/ (in German)