Postsocialism 

is the academic study of states after the fall or decline of socialism, especially in Eastern
Europe and Asia. The "socialism" in postsocialism is not based on a Marxist conception of socialism but
rather, especially in the Eastern European context, on the idea of "actually existing socialism". Scholars of
postsocialist states maintain that, even if the political and economic systems in place did not adhere to
orthodox Marxist ideas of "socialism", these systems were real and had real effects on cultures, society, and
individuals' subjectivities. Scholars of postsocialism often draw from other theoretical frameworks like
postcolonialism and focus especially on the evolution of labor relations, gender roles, and ethnic and
religious political affiliations. The idea of postsocialism has also been criticized, however, for placing so
much emphasis on the impact of socialism while the term socialism remains difficult to define, especially if
extended beyond Eastern Europe.[1]