Men in Small Settlements – Marginalized and Necessary Cover Image

Мъжете в малките населени места – маргинализирани и нужни
Men in Small Settlements – Marginalized and Necessary

Author(s): Vasil Baltadziev
Subject(s): Anthropology, Social Sciences, Economy, Gender Studies, Customs / Folklore, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Culture and social structure , Social development, Rural and urban sociology, Welfare services, Economic development, Social Norms / Social Control, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Институт за етнология и фолклористика с Етнографски музей при БАН
Keywords: men; villages; marginalization; alcohol abuse

Summary/Abstract: The present text focuses on the problems faced by the men who live in the contemporary Bulgarian village. Using empirical data gathered in a long period of fieldwork, I discuss some of the aspects related to their daily life and focus on the position they occupy in the community that they are a part of. My observation showed that in many of the villages I visited, alcohol consumption was seen more as a part of everyday life, young men who consumed large amounts were looked with compation by the older generation, who often needed their physical help. The exception was in cases in which alcohol dependence led to more complex problems – for example, aggression or abuse. The case in Northwestern Bulgaria is specific and more problematic. The poverty of the region, combined with high unemployment, had created a bleaker picture. The local image of the “ pustinyaka” had a lot more of the characteristics usually associated with a marginal person.

  • Issue Year: 2023
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 305-314
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: Bulgarian