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

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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.