When Things Fall Apart documents the experiences of men, women, and children in Armenia, (Icorgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia. Moldova.Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan as they struggle with the dramatic changes in lifestyle and extreme poverty tbat followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. Based on hundreds of open-ended interviews conducted by local people over a span of five years, this book captures the particularities of poverty in each nation-state as well as a collective sense of disillusionment and a strikingly similar array of responses to the crisis.
Bringing the experience of poverty alive in a way quantitative analysis alone cannot, this study demonstrates how poverty in the region differs from poverty elsewhere in the world, and examines links between poverty, gender, and ethnicity. It also looks at the ways in which cultural and institutional barriers have sometimes hindered attempts to improve economic and living conditions for the people of the former Soviet Union.
A book that conveys the psychological as well as the social and economic impact of poverty. When Things Fall Apart will be of interest to policymakers, anthropologists, sociologists, regional specialists, and anyone with an interest in the causes and effects of poverty.