Trajectories of the Value (re)Production in the First Post-Communist Generation

This research investigates how the materialist and postmaterialist value trajectories of the first post-communist generation evolved following the collapse of the USSR and its economic and societal structures. To address this question, biographical interviews were conducted with young people born between 1991 and 2000 from Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. The findings challenge R. Inglehart’s theory of value change, offering new insights into post-communist societies. The results indicate that despite the increase in postmaterialist values, the materialist values still prevail in the first post-communist generation in more economically advantaged post-communist countries, driven by the intergenerational (re)production of insecurity and a shifting purpose of materialist values. On the other hand, in the first post-communist generation of economically disadvantaged post-communist countries, only postmaterialist values are increasing, supported by strong social ties, the centrality of family, community cohesion, and a heightened sense of belonging. The study questions the progressiveness of the linear modernisation path towards individualism and its impact on the overall wellbeing of society.