Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Aknowledgement
Studying networks nowadays. On the utility of a notion 13 notions that by now had supposedly unacceptable connotations for anthropology. The iconoclast fury in our discipline has thus ridden the main stream of terms regarded as classical and has substituted them with other concepts with strong moral connotations such as civil society, trust, social capital, citizenship, good governance, etc. Obviously, nobody can and wishes to challenge the legitimacy and importance of such a restatement of the terminological apparatus. Moreover, these concepts are now part of a common parlance both in global organisations and local institutions. However, as Don Kalb aptly pointed out, we should recall that the new notions, acquired from other disciplines such as social philosophy and political science, are concrete abstractions that should not be reified and should constantly undergo the examination of empirical evidence (Kalb 2002: 322). The anthropologist’s duty is to empirically verify the true aspects of such concrete abstractions since, for example, not all associations or NGOs are expressions of civil society. It would not be surprising to discover that they conceal patronage cliques, religious fundamentalist factions, coalitions of extremist politicians or unscrupulous profiteer, if not criminal gangs. Network analysis can prove useful, if not indispensable, particularly in view of the empirical verification of these concrete abstractions. We welcome this collection of essays that helps to update the notion of network in the specific social context of Central and East Europe. Especially in these societies, in which the personalisation of social relations traditionally represents one of the chief elements in building trustworthy relations amongst individuals, network analysis is itself very helpful. Furthermore, we should bear in mind that this region of Europe has been undergoing a phase of accelerated transformation over the past twelve years in which old structures, inherited from the socialist past, have indeed been abolished by law, but have not completely disappeared. In the meantime, new structures, mainly imported from the Occident, have not been consolidated yet, for reasons we cannot delve into here. In this very fluid reality with little in common with what unilinear transition experts expected, in which informal
