TY - BOOK ID - 122760757 TI - The socialist good life : desire, development, and standards of living in Eastern Europe AU - Scarboro, Cristofer AU - Mincyte, Diana AU - Gille, Zsuzsa PY - 2020 SN - 9780253047762 0253047765 9780253047793 025304779X PB - Bloomington, Indiana : Indiana University Press, DB - UniCat KW - Socialism KW - Communism KW - Consumption (Economics) KW - Lifestyles KW - History KW - Europe, Eastern KW - Politics and government KW - Style de vie KW - Communism. KW - Consumption (Economics). KW - Lifestyles. KW - Politics and government. KW - Socialism. KW - Lebensstandard. KW - Nationalbewusstsein. KW - Sozialismus. KW - Verbraucherverhalten. KW - 1945-1989. KW - Europe de l'Est KW - Eastern Europe. KW - Osteuropa. KW - Politique et gouvernement UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:122760757 AB - "What does the good life mean in a "backward" place? As communist regimes denigrated widespread unemployment and consumer excess in Western countries, socialist Eastern European states simultaneously legitimized their power through their apparent ability to satisfy consumers' needs. Moving beyond binaries of production and consumption, the essays collected here examine the lessons consumption studies can offer about ethnic and national identity and the role of economic expertise in shaping consumer behavior. From Polish VCRs to Ukrainian fashion boutiques, tropical fruits in the GDR to cinemas in Belgrade, The Socialist Good Life explores what consumption means in a worker state where communist ideology emphasizes collective needs over individual pleasures"-- ER -