Central European Elites in Post-Imperial Transition: Locality, Agency, Capital : Introduction

Egry, Gábor (2024) Central European Elites in Post-Imperial Transition: Locality, Agency, Capital : Introduction. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF HISTORY = REVUE EUROPÉENNE D'HISTOIRE, 31. pp. 1-11. ISSN 1350-7486 (print); 1469-8293 (online) (In Press)

Preview

Text Elites in Post Imperial Transition Locality Agency Capital introduction final version repository.pdf - Accepted Version Download (648kB) | Preview

Abstract

This article introduces the thematic dossier of the same title, consisting of five articles that present case studies of how the collapse of Austria-Hungary and subsequent transition process reconfigured the role of locality in the generation of (local) elite roles and functions. Starting from Shamus Rahman Khan’s definition that posits elites as groups of people with access to capital that gives them an outsized role decisions the case studies from Romania, Austria, Czechoslovakia analysed how individuals could use, manage, transform various forms of capital, how they retained, gained or lost elite position. We argue that a shift of scale to the local offers unique insights even for the broader study of elites. As no elites remained unchallenged during the transition, it was essential to be able to convert capital into new forms and adapt to new contexts, but the outcome of the process was not foreordained by ethnicity or political views. Moreover, as states faced the task of integrating very inhomogeneous regions, transnational business networks struggled with border effects, local elites with strong capacity of social integration and individuals with knowledge of informal arrangements gained in reputation and trust from above that was often an important stepping stone from local to national or transnational elites too.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item