Women and Capitalism in the Croatian Hinterland

The Practice of Labor and Consumption

By (author) Nila Ginger Hofman

Not available to order

Publication date:

21 October 2014

Length of book:

172 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739187371

In Women and Capitalism in the Croatian Hinterland: The Practice of Labor and Consumption, Nila Ginger Hofman examines the effects of post-socialist capitalism on the lives of Croatian women. Croatia’s secession from socialism and a more recent gestating capitalist landscape provide the contexts in which the author examines how women navigate the labor and consumer markets. The women consulted for this book experienced two decades of developing free-market capitalism. They also experienced the disintegration of the self-managing socialism that existed in Yugoslavia from 1948 to 1991; four years of the Balkan War, which brought emotional and infrastructural tolls; and the emergence of the new Croatian Republic in 1991. The transition to capitalism in the last part of the twentieth century brought anticipation, angst, and excitement. The new millennium has also been plagued by unemployment rates hovering around 20 percent as well as the emergence of western-style shopping malls. Women and Capitalism in the Croatian Hinterland details the cumulative effects of these changes, which resulted in an unprecedented upheaval in the lives of Croatians.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Capitalist Hinterland
2. Earning Benefits and Spending: The Socialist Era and Post-1991 Croatia
3. Consumption then and Now
4. Work Cultures
5. Labor, Consumption and the Lives of Croatian Women
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

To illuminate the postsocialist experiences of Croatian women, Hofman wisely focuses on the myriad interrelationships between consumer and labor processes. Her account—rich with detail on everyday realities such as shifting family leave policies and the legacies of socialist DIY culture—will be eye-opening for many readers.