Conflict: A Symptom of Transformation of the Countryside

Abstract

The paper addresses the theme of social change and transformation processes in Slovakia during socialistic and postsocialistic period, in particular an issue of reflecting changes instigated by state on macro-level by rural communities on micro-level. The author investigates antagonisms and conflicts as accompanying features of social change. She analyses social conflicts by identifying their causes, adversaries, and groups promoting different interests in two case studies based on the materials coming from field research conducted in two areas in western Slovakia. The studies bring evidence of heightening social conflicts related to the transformation of ownership relations and caused by colliding efforts to obtain control over land. The author describes various forms of the conflicts in connection to local specifics and different authorities or institutions engaged in them. She assumes that the course and variety of conflicts in Slovakia have been limited by local context, degree of durability of post-social mechanisms blurring ownership relations and users’ rights as well as marginalized remnants of community models connected with traditional agrarian economy.

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Članek obravnava družbene spremembe in process transformacij na Slovaškem v obdobju socializma in po njem, še posebej zrcaljenje sprememb z državne makroravni na mikroraven podeželskih skupnosti. Predmet raziskave so nasprotja in konflikti, ki spremljajo družbene spremembe. Analizirani so vzroki družbenih konfliktov in skupine, ki uveljavljajo različne interese na primerih dveh študij, tj. na terenskem gradivu z dveh območij zahodne Slovaške. Raziskavi govorita o naraščanju družbenih konfliktov, povezanih s spreminjanjem lastninskih razmerij, ki so jih povzročila nasprotujoča si prizadevanja za nadzor nad zemljo. Avtorica opiše različne oblike sporov, ki so povezani s krajevnimi posebnostmi in vpletenimi avtoritetami ali institucijam, in domneva, da sta tok in raznovrstnost teh sporov na Slovaškem odvisna od lokalnega konteksta, stopnje trajnosti postsocialističnih mehanizmov, ki zamegljujejo lastninska razmerja in pravice uporabnikov zemlje, kakor tudi od marginaliziranih ostankov skupnostnih modelov tradicionalnega kmečkega gospodarjenja.