Urban theories in a post-socialist context
Since the collapse of the socialist system, cities in Central Eastern European countries have undergone dynamic transformation processes. Those processes have attracted noteworthy scientific attention, particularly in local academic circles, causing revived interest in urban studies in the...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Serbian Geographical Society
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Glasnik Srpskog Geografskog Društva |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-3593/2022/0350-35932202035R.pdf |
| Summary: | Since the collapse of the socialist system, cities in Central Eastern
European countries have undergone dynamic transformation processes. Those
processes have attracted noteworthy scientific attention, particularly in
local academic circles, causing revived interest in urban studies in the
region. However, the academic interest in former socialist cities has become
the centre of discussion itself. This interest is mostly related to the
validity of theories and methodologies born in the West to the study of
former socialist cities. On one side, there is a cohort of academics who
have uncritically embraced Western urban knowledge, a priori assuming its
universal applicability. This research position is commonly related to the
developmental and convergence theories, which take “correction” of the
postsocialist cities and their eventual assimilation to the Western city as
their model. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the post-colonial
approach has developed as a stand which criticizes the alleged scientific
hegemonism of the West and insists on a more cosmopolitan urban science that
would take into account the experiences of cities worldwide. Simultaneously,
this approach advocates for considering urban particularities and
complexities, and thus this research treats post-socialist cities as
distinctive, in many instances, from the cities of the West, as well as from
each other. However, as both contemporary academic stands have their limits
and flaws, the debate on adequate research of former socialist cities as
well as on the future positions of urban science in general, is far from
conclusive. |
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| ISSN: | 0350-3593 2406-078X |