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Introduction

Introduction Writing once again about “collaboration” in former communist states might seem inopportune. However, in December 2016, the Romanian parliamentary elections were won by a party that had a blatant campaign against civil society organizations, accusing them of being infiltrated by agents. The theme of “infiltration” has yet again pervaded transitional debates in a society where the secret services are still looming in the background as a dark force. It is no wonder that the attention was piqued of the predominantly non-cosmopolitan members of both urban and rural milieus, the victims of liberalization who could never really enjoy the benefits of intellectual free circulation and trade. One could say that a political fight has been unleashed not just between some grossly defined Left and Right, but between immobility versus mobility. The latter would include the urban middle class, professionals working in the entrepreneurial sector, intellectuals traveling abroad, and, according to media manipulations, agents of foreign ngos. Questioning again the moral contours of cultural figures would therefore inadvertently endorse current and past media lynchings of intellectuals and civil society, at a time when autocratism, manipulation, and corruption are again the ingredients of power.A few clarifications are thus needed. By analyzing a http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png East Central Europe Brill

Introduction

East Central Europe , Volume 44 (1): 16 – Jun 23, 2017

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
Copyright © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0094-3037
eISSN
1876-3308
DOI
10.1163/18763308-04401010
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Writing once again about “collaboration” in former communist states might seem inopportune. However, in December 2016, the Romanian parliamentary elections were won by a party that had a blatant campaign against civil society organizations, accusing them of being infiltrated by agents. The theme of “infiltration” has yet again pervaded transitional debates in a society where the secret services are still looming in the background as a dark force. It is no wonder that the attention was piqued of the predominantly non-cosmopolitan members of both urban and rural milieus, the victims of liberalization who could never really enjoy the benefits of intellectual free circulation and trade. One could say that a political fight has been unleashed not just between some grossly defined Left and Right, but between immobility versus mobility. The latter would include the urban middle class, professionals working in the entrepreneurial sector, intellectuals traveling abroad, and, according to media manipulations, agents of foreign ngos. Questioning again the moral contours of cultural figures would therefore inadvertently endorse current and past media lynchings of intellectuals and civil society, at a time when autocratism, manipulation, and corruption are again the ingredients of power.A few clarifications are thus needed. By analyzing a

Journal

East Central EuropeBrill

Published: Jun 23, 2017

There are no references for this article.