Alena Ledeneva: March 3, 2010

Abstract

Given the importance of informal ways of getting things done in postsocialist societies, research into the field of unwritten rules and informal practices has been slow to develop. In studying such rules and practices, the researcher often encounters skepticism or hostility stemming from the ways in which people relate to tacit agreements. Or else, she is greeted by an ambivalent smile of complicity -- a knowing smile. This paper draws a connection between knowing smiles and open secrets, arguing that these notions illuminate a great deal about how the 'grey areas' of social life function. I suggest that such seemingly trivial aspects of day-to-day life can reveal profound features of informal power and point in direction of innovative research.