Transformation in East Central Europe: 1918 and 1989. A Comparative Approach

The authors of the introduction to this special issue argue for a historicization of the concept of transformation by broadening our understanding of it to decrease its teleological spin. This allows us to discard the “zero hour” narrative and to rather consider phenomena that exist long before a “turn” or “revolution” accelerates the transformation process. The closely related terms of “continuity” and “discontinuity” can be relieved of their mandatory dialectical logic by introducing the concept of “adaptation” as an analytical instrument in order to explain what happens after a certain turning point. Consequently, a historicization of the concept of transformation, as the briefly presented case studies show, entails detachment from apodictic periodization and the narration of quasi-mechanized progress in order to specify every single field of accelerated change. However, this does not necessarily limit the usefulness of the concept, as examining individual cases using specific criteria and comparing and bundling them will contribute to a better understanding of societies in transformation as a whole.     

A Witch-Doctor's Kit,from Magila,East Central Africa.

The long shared history and traditions of Spain and Mexico have given rise to similar stereotypes and folkloric figures. These relationships are often explained through myths that take the form of historical accounts. Here we will discuss some of these discourses to try to understand the relationship between two iconic figures that define similar customs and share a single name in Europe and America: El charro.     

C. A. Macartney and Central Europe

C. A. Macartney (1895–1978) was a British historian with a life‐long interest in the history and politics of the peoples of East‐Central Europe and in particular, those of Hungary. He combined historical research with an advisory role in various policy‐making bodies. Macartney had little faith in the system of small nation states that resulted from the break‐up of the Austro‐Hungarian Monarchy. He called attention to the fact that the principle of self‐determination was applied unevenly by the peacemakers in Paris, and that the new states were unstable and thus consequently unable to resist pressures from Germany and Russia. While always forthright, Macartney was also often controversial. He became a proponent of various Hungarian interests and causes in Britain, a standpoint difficult to maintain during and immediately after World War II. Yet Macartney was not simply an appeaser. For him, the solution to the problems of the Danube Basin lay in the gradual eradication of overlapping nationalisms and the establishment of a supra‐national economic and political structure for the benefit of all the peoples concerned. His scholarly works conform to the highest standards of academic professionalism, and are to this day often the only source in English on the particular subject.     

Middle pleistocene adaptations in Central Europe

The biological evolution documented in the fossil and archaeological record of Central Europe between about 700,000 and 100,000 years ago reflects the transition fromHomo erectus to the earliestHomo sapiens. These populations created different types of industries, ranging from assemblages of small artifacts and industries with simple pebble tools to standardized units such as the Evolved Acheulean and the Early Mousterian. The industries of the Last Interglacial (Taubachian) show some regression in technological standardization and a reappearance of small artifacts. Other aspects of cultural adaptation (settlements, dwellings, hunting activity, symbolic and aesthetic expressions) are also summarized. It is suggested that the impact of climate and climatic changes on human settlement and behavior was greater in Central Europe (where two glaciations advanced from both north and south) than in the Mediterranean and Western Europe. The general trend of cultural veolution was toward greater technological and social complexity, but its course was not unilinear.