Living in the countries of the East, countries of transition, or the Western Balkans, may not always be as frustrating or as dull as it seems. The nineties saw the publication of several important studies and proceedings dealing with the socialist culture which is now being disowned by these contemporary societies through the process of transition. Most of this output includes cultural or historical essays or serious scientific papers addressing certain cultural segments of one-party systems from the perspective of the author or Western institutions. It is worth noting that most of the argumentation which backs up their theses relies on architecture, art, or, in the broadest sense of the term, design.