The future of deindustrialization – a social and cultural turn? The future of former industrial landscapes and industrial societies in Central Eastern Europe

In the second half of the 20th century, Central Eastern Europe underwent a peculiar, delayed process of industrialization under the state socialist system. These former industrial landscapes and societies were completely transformed in the process of deindustrialization that unfolded in parallel with the post-communist transition. Following the fall of state socialism, there were significant differences in the dynamics and consequences of deindustrialization in and between countries, as well as in the transformation of local societies and the management of the cultural heritage of deindustrialization. It is also clear that these former visions of the future have been eliminated. There has also been a change in the social behaviour of the regions and societies transformed by deindustrialization, which can be described as a special kind of social and cultural turn. In my paper, I will try to answer the following question: What happened to the visions of the future that were once formulated in the past, why and how did they become invalid? What is the essence and the content of the social and cultural turn brought about by the de-industrialization transformation? How has deindustrialization influenced the vision of the future of the regions and their inhabitants?.