Propitivanje pojma selektivne tradicije na primjeru udruge Čuvarice ognjišta Krasno
Examination of the Term Selective Tradition in the Example of the Society of Protectors of Fireplace from Krasno

Summary/Abstract: The term of selective tradition by Raymond Williams was analysed in this paper through elements, which the society Protectors of Fireplace (Čuvarice Ognjišta) from Krasno selected amongst the heritage of their local society. Williams, under the term of selective tradition understands, one of the three levels of culture, defining it from living culture of a certain time and place and from the culture, which was recorded. Living culture is available just to those who live in a specific time and place, while recorded culture encompasses different things from art to usual fact and is actually the culture of a period. The culture of selective tradition works as a connection of these two levels. The next important characteristics, which Williams related to the term of selective tradition, in the paper indicate the place, which the Society has in the local community, the direction of its work and importance which it enjoys through its members and other people who participate in its work. This conclusion is based on the results of fieldwork, data obtained from the Society’s leaflets and articles published in daily newspapers and on websites.Cultural tradition, according to Williams can be understood as a process of continuous selection and reselection of order. This society used the selection of folk costume, which has exceptional strength thanks to its visual quality, then the presentation of parts of the customs, dances and songs and then entered into the field of selective tradition. Emphasising the originality, indigenousness, antiquity in relation with public discourse in which these determinants were very often mentioned and almost always positively evaluated, brought the recognition of its own heritage from something that was recognised as foreign and invented, as in the case of a carnival parade, which was refused. This is a process of conscious selection and turning to those, which are recognised as ‘ours’. Different sorts of parades, manifestations and the hosting of the guests can be used as places for the presentation of a community. In these cases, the society has the legitimacy to represent the whole local community exactly in those elements, which have been extracted by selection. If a society wants to be recognisable, the selection is inevitable, although according to Williams the extraction of significant number of areas of living culture could be unacceptable. This is especially seen in tourism, the production of souvenirs, the creation of cultural products, which have to have necessary strength in written connotations in order to direct to those things, which their creator wants. Selective tradition is now recognised as an inevitable way for a community to present itself to others.

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