Failure as a precondition for success-the transformation of East German agriculture revisited

authored by: Eva Barlösius, Claudia Neu
Abstract: This paper asks why the transformation of the East German agricultural sector did not occur as politically intended: decollectivisation and a change to small family farms did not take place. In order to answer this question the two dominant sociological concepts of transformation, transfer of institutions and delayed modernisation, are first considered. Afterwards the theoretical and methodological approaches and results of socio-agricultural studies are presented. Based on the interpretation of the findings of these studies the main characteristics of the agricultural transformation are identified. The paper ends with the thesis that, as was typical for the German reading of the transformation process was its interpretation within the "order of time". This implied a devaluation and ignorance of whatever was not in line with the concept of modernisation.
Organisation(s): Sociology Department
Type: Article
Journal: Eastern European countryside
Volume: 15
Pages: 37-60
No. of pages: 24
ISSN: 1232-8855
Publication date: 2009
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Geography, Planning and Development, Sociology and Political Science
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.2478/v10130-009-0003-7 (Access: Unknown)

BibTeX

@article{4efe0fe9004e447bb2883878453ed7b0,
title = "Failure as a precondition for success-the transformation of East German agriculture revisited",
abstract = "This paper asks why the transformation of the East German agricultural sector did not occur as politically intended: decollectivisation and a change to small family farms did not take place. In order to answer this question the two dominant sociological concepts of transformation, transfer of institutions and delayed modernisation, are first considered. Afterwards the theoretical and methodological approaches and results of socio-agricultural studies are presented. Based on the interpretation of the findings of these studies the main characteristics of the agricultural transformation are identified. The paper ends with the thesis that, as was typical for the German reading of the transformation process was its interpretation within the {"}order of time{"}. This implied a devaluation and ignorance of whatever was not in line with the concept of modernisation.",
keywords = "Agricultural transformation, collectivisation, decollectivisation, delayed modernisation, East Germany LPG, institutional transfer, order of time, social and functional differentiation",
author = "Eva Barl{\"o}sius and Claudia Neu",
year = "2009",
doi = "10.2478/v10130-009-0003-7",
language = "English",
volume = "15",
pages = "37--60",
journal = "Eastern European countryside",
issn = "1232-8855",
publisher = "De Gruyter Open Ltd.",
number = "1",
}