Teaching 'Transition' in Central and Eastern Europe through Fieldwork

Abstract

Since 1989 the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe have been in a state of 'transition' to a market economy and pluralist democracy. However, despite the increasing academic interest in the region, teaching about transition to undergraduates is a subject which has received little attention. This paper identifies some of the particular challenges and problems of teaching about transition in post-communist countries, particularly the lack of awareness of the region's communist past among many students. It also reports the development of a module designed to teach about transition in Romania primarily through fieldwork. The content of the module and examples of teaching activities are presented.