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OverviewWhat does the durability of political institutions have to do with how actors form knowledge about them? Andreas Glaeser investigates this question in the context of a fascinating historical case: socialist East Germany’s unexpected self-dissolution in 1989. His analysis builds on extensive in-depth interviews with former secret police officers and the dissidents they tried to control as well as research into the documents both groups produced. In particular, Glaeser analyzes how these two opposing factions’ understanding of the socialist project came to change in response to countless everyday experiences. These investigations culminate in answers to two questions: why did the officers not defend socialism by force? And how was the formation of dissident understandings possible in a state that monopolized mass communication and group formation? He also explores why the Stasi, although always well informed about dissident activities, never developed a realistic understanding of the phenomenon of dissidence. Out of this ambitious study, Glaeser extracts two distinct lines of thought. On the one hand he offers an epistemic account of socialism’s failure that differs markedly from existing explanations. On the other hand he develops a theory—a sociology of understanding—that shows us how knowledge can appear validated while it is at the same time completely misleading. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Andreas GlaeserPublisher: The University of Chicago Press Imprint: University of Chicago Press Dimensions: Width: 1.60cm , Height: 0.40cm , Length: 2.30cm Weight: 1.021kg ISBN: 9780226297941ISBN 10: 0226297942 Pages: 640 Publication Date: 15 April 2011 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Manufactured on demand  We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier. Table of ContentsReviewsPolitical Epistemics is a wonderful book that explains at long last the epistemological reasons behind the collapse of Eastern European state socialism. It is a magnificent testimony to the resurgence of the sociology of knowledge and its provocative arguments and conclusions will be debated widely for years to come. - Dominic Boyer, Rice University Author InformationAndreas Glaeser is associate professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and the author of Divided in Unity: Identity, Germany, and the Berlin Police, also published by the University of Chicago Press. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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