Social scientists of nine post-communist countries have met at a conference to conclude a several-year long research into The Shared Values. The research was coordinated by the editor of this volume and undertaken by the Center for Economic and Social Strategies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague. The book is comprised of 24 studies examining the changes in values throughout the process of transformation in the post-communist countries and, in general, the questions of values, their conceptualization and research as well as their role in the processes of transformation and stratification. The studies present a new concept of empirical sociological study of values, cultural resources in class reproduction and ideology, problems of hedonism, social trust, cohesion, historical and cultural tradition and many other aspects of development of value structure in post-communist societies. Reviewers have emphasized that the present volume is the first book of its kind and is likely to become a basis for large-scale international comparisons. Its fundamental contribution stems from the comparison of a variety of approaches to the subject in different post-communist countries. Apart from other things, this provides a good basis for better communication and a path to the respect for each other.
