Dissertation Research: Kinship, Houses and the Socialist State: The Effects of Housing Nationalization and Restitution in Romania (1950 - )

Verdery/Chercea这篇论文是由密歇根大学的一位文化人类学家进行的一项研究项目，研究了在国家社会主义期间和之后，房子在维持和创造亲属关系中的作用。这名学生将比较布加勒斯特(罗马尼亚)一个社区家庭的亲属关系，这些家庭的房屋在1950年被社会主义国家没收，而这些家庭设法避免了这一悲惨过程。利用档案研究的数据和对大约125人的密集采访，这名学生将检验四个假设，这些假设涉及家庭财产和家谱记忆；国家分配住房的时间和家庭周期的阶段；户主的权威和分配经验；以及归还过程对亲属关系、团结和冲突的影响。该项目将增进我们对国家政策对亲属关系网络的影响的了解；将扩大我们对私有化和归还对人们财产权观念的影响的理解；并将为正在归还以前国有化的财产的其他前社会主义国家提供宝贵的比较数据。此外，该项目还增加了一位年轻的社会科学家的培训，并促进了我们对世界这一重要地区的了解。

Verdery / ChelceaThis dissertation research project by a cultural anthropologist from the University of Michigan studies the role of houses in maintaining and creating kinship relations during and after state socialism. The student will compare the kinship relations of households in a neighborhood of Bucharest (Romania) whose houses were confiscated by the socialist state in 1950 with those of households who managed to avoid this tragic process. Using data from archival research and intensive interviews with about 125 persons, the student will test four hypotheses relating family property and genealogical memory; the timing of housing appropriation by the state and the stage of the family cycle; the authority of household heads and the appropriation experience; and the effects of restitution process on kinship solidarity and conflict. The project will advance our understanding of the impact of state policies on kinship networks; will extend our understanding of the impact of privatization and restitution on people's conceptions of property rights; and will provide valuable comparative data for other former socialist countries experiencing restitution of previously nationalized property. In addition the project adds to the training of a young social scientist, and advances our knowledge of this important region of the world.