Getting by in Postsocialist Romania: Labor, the Body, and Working-Class Culture. New Anthropologies of Europe by David A. Kideckel (review)

Abstract

REVIEWS 589 Kideckel, David A. Getting by in Postsocialist Romania: Labor, theBody, and Working-Class Culture.New Anthropologies of Europe. Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 2008. xii + 266 pp. Illustrations. Notes. Works cited. Index. $65.00; $24.95. This book forms part of a broader series called 'New Anthropologies of Europe'. It takes as its core subject theworking class, specifically the former miners, of central Romania around theJiu Valley and F?gara?, and itmaps theirpath during the deindustrialization that has blighted much ofRomania since the fall of Ceau?escu. Taking post-socialism as privileging consumption over labour and niche production over mass production, Kideckel maps the progress, or lack of progress, of theminers, as they cope with the social upheaval resulting from the triumph of individualized market relations over class and their loss of position, resources and jobs as a result. The destruction ofworking-class solidarity by themarket has been utterly devastating within these areas, and the destruction of single-industry towns within Romania and post-socialist Eastern Europe more broadly has been accompanied by a form of cultural disenfranchizement brought about by a media that extols the virtues of themarket and Europeanization. Within this new world, the values of the formerworking class as exemplified by the miners of theJiu Valley have been significantlyundermined. The choice of theminers is itselfa political act since theminers were frequendy taken as exemplars of theworking classes during socialism inmany countries.With no wages and no support system the fabric ofmany of thesemining towns has undergone a number of social changes, including significant poverty, social exclusion and changing gender politics, and a number of social issues related to stressand health problems resulting in shorter life spans as social safetynets decay and disappear. It is this social alienation and resulting change that is themain territoryoccupied by thisbook. Kideckel's work needs to be applauded on a number of counts, not least because itfocuses on an unfashionable subject inRomania. As he points out, Romanian politicians and analysts tend to concentrate on relatively high level analysis of labour markets rather than on the effects of labour market changes on individuals within theworking class. As a result he chooses quite the opposite course and provides microlevel detail on the decline of the Romanian working class, and outlines the post-socialist lives of several indi viduals as examples of how these social relations are changing. His rationale is that 'Although workers are pushed to the sidelines of post-socialist society, and although their ability to plan and act in their own interest is severely compromised, society disregards them at itsperil. Ignoring their grievances, whether expressed or not, ensures continued ferment, economic uncertainty, and demographic decline, thus derailing a humane transformation of life in the post-socialist states' (p. 11). This emphasis on 'humane transformation' is important to the thrustof the book as a whole and should be read in part as an antidote to the banks of economistic statistics that show how far post-socialist governments have been able to cut budgets. Kideckel provides a series of narratives and an excellent analysis of the changes in service provision to those who remain inwork in 59? SEER, 88, 3, JULY 20IO themost dangerous mines inRomania, particularly in his description of the decline ofmedical services as part of the overall package ofworking in this area.Whereas under socialism medical care was provided for miners and their families, the decline of core services is such that medical attention now requires bribery. Overall, this is a very valuable book that sheds considerable light on a subject that is rarely covered inmost literature on Romania. Whereas there are analyses of theminers as a political movement, there isvery little written on the effectsof cutting services and running down industries.The decline of theworking class within Romania, itsdisempowerment and increasing social problems are all here. If I have a criticism it is in the lack of statistical analysis. For example, on page 189Kideckel talks about a health survey and the resulting findings, but does not put any of the resulting statistical analysis into the text. Particularly here, Iwould have been interested in looking at trends and figures formyself as a means of shedding further light on...