From the Slavic Review Editorial Board:
Slavic Review publishes signed letters to the editor by individuals with educational or research merit. Where the letter concerns a publication in Slavic Review, the author of the publication will be offered an opportunity to respond. Space limitations dictate that comment regarding a book review should be restricted to one paragraph of no more than 250 words; comment on an article or forum should not exceed 750 to 1,000 words. When we receive many letters on a topic, some letters will be published on the Slavic Review website with opportunities for further discussion. The editor reserves the right to refuse to print, or to publish with cuts, letters that contain personal abuse or otherwise fail to meet the standards of debate expected in a scholarly journal.
To the Editor:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing this letter in regard to the recently published featured review of the book, Mothers, Families and Children? Family Policy in Poland, Hungary, and Romania, 1945–2020 (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2022) that I co-authored with Dorottya Szikra and Cristina Rat (Slavic Review, Winter 2023 issue, 1007–1010). In general, the review is well-written and complimentary. Unfortunately, it seems to me that the reviewer responded too quickly, without due attention to the main thesis of the book, essential facts, and the totality of the argument. First, the introductory reference to Hungary should apply to Poland, and vice versa. As we repeatedly state in the book, Hungary's family policy has been “family oriented” and Poland's “mother/women oriented” from 1945 to the present. Second, contrary to the critical remarks at the end, Part II of the book extensively covers the impact of civil society and women's agency, including the influence of feminist (left-wing/progressive) groups and prominent individuals (domestic and transnational actors), from the communist era to 2020. Third, on page 1008n2, the cited article by Jennifer Crane from Contemporary European History was retracted by the publisher two years ago, in 2022, because of unreliable data. Finally, the previous reference (1007n1) represents well-intentioned online advocacy, but not serious, evidence-based scholarship. Even though undeniably we live now in the age of “alternative facts,” I am still an “old-fashioned” scholar and thus would like to call your attention to these serious mistakes and omissions.
Sincerely yours,
Alina Dragolea responds:
Dear Editor, Dear Authors of Mothers, Families and Children? Family Policy in Poland, Hungary, and Romania, 1945–2020
I am writing in response to the letter regarding the review of the book Mothers, Families and Children? Family Policy in Poland, Hungary, and Romania, 1945–2020 (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2022), co-authored by Tomasz Inglot, Dorottya Szikra, and Cristina Rat, published in the Winter 2023 issue of Slavic Review. I would like to acknowledge and apologize for the oversights and errors identified by the authors of the book. First and foremost, I regret the inexplicable confusion for my part on family policies in Hungary and Poland, which I can only attribute to an overload of work at that moment. As the authors rightly point out, family policy in Hungary from 1945 to the present has been predominantly “family-oriented,” while in Poland it has been “mother/woman-oriented.” This distinction is crucial and should have been accurately reflected. Then, I acknowledge that the authors may feel an oversight on my part in terms of reporting on civil society and women's agency, but I responded primarily to what I thought was a better reflection on intersectional claims in central and eastern Europe. Finally, I would like to apologize for citing Jennifer Crane's retracted article from Contemporary European History; I admit I was not aware of it.
Thank you for your understanding and for bringing these issues to my attention.
Sincerely,
