The accession to the European Union has sharpened precarious tendencies of postsocialist transition and created new challenges for societies in Central Eastern Europe. This volume gathers empirical contributions that critically assess the implications of accession preparation for collective identities, civil society, welfare, and economic restructuring. Conceptual chapters discuss the politics of EU expansion, Europeanisation, and postsocialist legacies. The introductory chapter by the editors discusses the contributions the involved disciplines (political science, sociology, anthropology, economics) have made and suggests a framework for the analysis of Europeanisation induced by accession conditionality.