Defining Success in a Changing Society: Self-Evaluation and Social Reflections of a Coming Elite in the Baltic States

摘要

The term ‘success’ characterizes the social status of individuals and groups in a society, yet its meaning is subject to the continuous processes of reconstruction in public and academic discourse. Who is labeled successful is rapidly changing in transitional societies such as those of the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In these contexts, sociologists have identified age as one of the factors influencing success or failure in society. Taking existing studies as a point of departure, this article looks into how those labeled ‘successful’ conceptualize success themselves. On the basis of in-depth interviews with individuals born between 1970 and 1978 in Estonia and Latvia and against the backdrop of theories about value formation and shifts, we come to the conclusion that the existing data provide an incomplete picture of how the emerging elite of both countries value individual performance and social status within their societies.View full textDownload full textKeywordsgeneration, values, Estonia, Latvia, socialization, transition, biographies, social mobilityRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01629778.2010.527129