The contributors to this volume - linguists discourse analysts and social scientists - shed light on the two years of transition (1989-1991) during which political concepts and political interaction changed in dramatic and sometimes violent ways.

1. Acknowledgments; 2. Preface; 3. Note on Contributors; 4. Introduction: Political Discourse and the European Transformation; 5. A Chronology of Change (by Ilyin, Mikhail V.); 6. Making Sense of the Cold War's Collapse (by Chilton, Paul); 7. The Pragmatics of Transition (by Mey, Jacob L.); 8. I. The Collapse of Soviet Discourse; 9. The Collapse of Empire and Search for Cultural Identity (by Sergeyev, Victor M.); 10. Processes of Political Communication in the USSR (by Pocheptsov, Georgii); 11. The Restructuring of Soviet Political Discourse (by Bourmeyster, Alexandre); 12. II. Political Vocabulary in Transition; 13. From Comrades to Consumers: Interpersonal Aspects of the Lexicon (by Minaeva, Ludmila); 14. Breakthrough and Blind Alley: The Lexicon of Perestroika (by Kaul, Marina); 15. Opposition Discourse in Russia: Political Pamphlets 1989-91 (by Borisova, Elena); 16. Justice, Equality and Freedom: The Structure of Value Concepts (by Baranov, Anatolii N.); 17. Continuity and Change: German Discourse after Unification (by Schaffner, Christina); 18. Translating the Transition: What is the Russian for 'Perestroika'? (by Richardson, Kay P.); 19. III. Discourse, Identity and Conflict; 20. The Construction of Nation and State: Discourse and Social Space (by Achard, Pierre); 21. Cognitive Dimensions of Identity: Ethnic Stereotypes in Poland (by Kurcz, Idalia); 22. Defining Democracy: Transitional Discourse in Georgia 1990-91 (by Teichmann, Christina); 23. Language and Identity in Bosnia-Herzegovina (by Levinger, Jasna)

[...] very relevant, not only as a collection of scholarly essays with considerable documentary value, but also as a document in which the socio-political and cultural embeddedness of scientific practice is inscribed.[...] fascinating and timely, for more than just students of political discourse.