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among many intellectuals from the region: it is not simply capitalism that
is challenged or denied, but also the absence of an exhilarating vision that
would preserve a connection with the sacred. The major weakness of lib–
eralism is, according to this view, its coldness. This search for the
transcendent is part of political myth that does not belong to the post–
communist universe only. "Not by bread alone" is a call that comes from
the beginnings of civilization and voices a need for deep spiri tual values.
Some of these values surface in the elusive discourse of myth.
The return of political myth is thus an expression of the crisis of late
modernity. It is a more visible phenomenon in societies where the project
of Enlightenment was derailed or simply rejected. Thus, in the East as well
as in the West, technology and pragmatic procedures alone cannot answer
deep human psychological neeeds. Myth is the glue of society. Its denial
cannot last forever. Political parties are increasingly distrusted and unin–
spiring and there exists a pressing need for new forms of activism. This
explains perhaps the growing popularity of terms like "civil society,"
"grassroots democracy," and "new social movements": they are bound to
express the recovery of civic digni ty, partici pation, and the possibili ty of a
political project that reconciles truth with effectiveness. Whether these
terms represent new political myths, or utopian projects, no one knows.
SONYA RUDIKOFF
1927-1997
