Arvydas Grišinas is a researcher at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania.
Politics with a Human Face presents a holistic understanding of identity formation in post-Soviet Europe, arguing that since politics is fundamentally a human affair. In order to adequately understand it, one needs to understand its human side first.
Drawing on the thought of Dilthey, Ricoeur and Plato, the author employs empathy as a method, together with visual and historical analysis, to analyse the role of human experience in post-Soviet politics. As a result, the book offers a theoretical approach for assessing influence of the non-rationalistic factors, such as associative symbolism, human experience, political images and historical narratives, in both domestic and foreign affairs.
A study at the juncture of Social Sciences and Humanities, Politics with a Human Face explores a number of cases, including Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia, as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, examining issues of liminal transition, `far-right´ movements, victimhood, ethnic conflict and political paradoxes. Seeking to shed light on the region´s agency and perception of both its own political and existential situation, and that of the surrounding world, this book constitutes a timely and original contribution to understanding the post-Soviet Europe.
1. The Human Factor in Politics
2. Lithuanian Identity Narrative
3. Liminality in post-Soviet Europe
4. Political images and identity
5. Common images, contesting narratives: the case of Maidan
6. Violence and victimhood in post-Soviet politics
7. Conclusion and Outlook
Politics with a Human Face presents a holistic understanding of political identity formation in post-Soviet Europe, drawing on the thought of Dilthey and Gadamer to employ empathy as a method, together with visual and historical analysis, in an analysis the role of human experience and non-rationalistic factors in post-Soviet politics. With studies of cases including Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia, as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the author examines issues of liminal transition, `far-right´ movements, victimhood, ethnic conflict and political paradoxes, shedding shed light on the region´s agency and perception of both its own political and existential situation, and that of the surrounding world.
Über den Autor
Arvydas Grišinas is a researcher at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
1. The Human Factor in Politics
2. Lithuanian Identity Narrative
3. Liminality in post-Soviet Europe
4. Political images and identity
5. Common images, contesting narratives: the case of Maidan
6. Violence and victimhood in post-Soviet politics
7. Conclusion and Outlook
