Paper short abstract:

An introductory presentation to the panel "Towards an ethnography of the Iron Curtain" will attempt to evaluate recent research of Iron Curtain in ethnology, social/cultural antropology and related disciplines in the last 25 years.

Paper long abstract:

After the fall of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe the Iron Curtain (border military installation) was destroyed relatively quickly, however its material as well as non material remains are still to be seen, recorded, documented, studied and preserved as an heritage. From the 90s of the 20th century, the Iron Curtain is an important subject of research, unfortunately ethnologists and folklorists helped in this research very little. Based on existing outcomes of research project of historians, archaeologist, sociologists etc. the Iron Curtain as an relevant topic for research will be presented and dicsussed. We will try to answer especially the following questions:Can be the Iron Curtain and its remnants and related memory also theme for ethnology and folklore? And it has not been yet? Is it possible to apply ethnological theories of frontiers and space on the research of Iron Curtain?