Paper short abstract:

The paper will present a preliminary survey of anthropological approaches to capitalism and class identities and sketch their relevance for the study of present-day Eastern European societies.

Paper long abstract:

The paper will present an introductory survey of anthropological approaches to the analysis of capitalism and its impact on the creation and reproduction of identity. Ethnographic studies from different parts of the world have shown that capitalism operates not only as an economic but also as a 'cultural system' that generates symbolic resources for the anchoring and negotiation of identity in plural society. Such symbolic discourses by no means eliminate, but add another important analytical dimension to, the crucial relevance of class as the dominating fault line of contemporary societies.

The reemergence of class in the (allegedly) formerly classless societies of Eastern Europe poses an important challenge to the anthropological investigation of postsocialist identities. The paper will present a preliminary sketch of an anthropological approach to the study of class identities in these countries.