Open AccessIron Curtains ?
Author(s) -
Maria Vlček
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
recherches sociologiques et anthropologiques
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2033-7485
pISSN - 1782-1592
DOI - 10.4000/rsa.187
Subject(s) - dialectic , interpersonal communication , politics , the imaginary , psychology , focus (optics) , interpersonal relationship , social psychology , sociology , political science , psychoanalysis , epistemology , philosophy , physics , optics , law
This paper explores the emotional and multi-sensorial dimensions of care within a transnational family separated by the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. It will argue that processes of supportive and compassionate engagement amongst transnational kin are not only shaped by long-distance communication, financial support and practical help within specific political and economic contexts, but also by personal desires and interpersonal conflict. The dialectics of proximity and distance are explored through a focus on uses of communication technology, emotional interaction during visits, long-distance engagement through distinct sensorial experiences, and imaginary interaction through the dynamics of internalised presence. The auto/biographical analysis is mainly based on letters, faxes, diaries, interviews and personal memories