Ethnology: After Socialism Cover Image

Etnologija socijalizma i poslije
Ethnology: After Socialism

Author(s): Dunja Rihtman-Auguštin
Subject(s): Customs / Folklore, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Post-Communist Transformation
Published by: Hrvatsko etnološko društvo
Keywords: ethnology of socialism; post-socialism period; Croatia; traditional culture and folklore; ethnos; ethnogenesis; ethnic relations;

Summary/Abstract: During the last fifty years ethnology in Croatia was not politically involved, although socialism as political and ideological system undoubtedly imposed limitations to ethnological research. Instead of discussing positive achievements of Croatian ethnology during the mentioned period the author tries to discover subjects which Croatian ethnologists (and some ethnologists and anthropologists from abroad who were working in the field in Croatia) more or less consciously and deliberately neglected during that period. Those topics were e.g. the repudiation of traditional culture and ritual and the study of specific Croatian national traits in traditional culture and folklore. Modem theory of ethnos, ethnic relations and ethnogenesis as well as modem research of mentality were avoided. Public piety and the process of dechristianization have been treated as taboos. Finally, during the socialist period no general works on Croatian folk culture (which we lack) have been compiled. The analysis of 'what we did not research' is important not only in our reflections on the past but also for our future endeavors. The impact of political system and the limitations it imposes are still our concern.

  • Issue Year: 22/1992
  • Issue No: 15
  • Page Range: 81-89
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Croatian