Sunčana strana Jugoslavije: povijest turizma u socijalizmu

by Hannes Grandits, Karin Taylor, Igor Duda

Despite the central role of tourism in the political making of the Yugoslav socialist state after WWII and in everyday life, the topic has remained neglected as an object of historical research, which has tended to dwell on war and "ethnic" conflict in the past two decades. For many former citizens of Yugoslavia, however, memories of holidaymaking, as well as tourism as a means of livelihood, today evoke a sense of the "good life" people enjoyed before the economy, and subsequently the country, fell apart. Undertakes a critical analysis of the history of domestic tourism in Yugoslavia under Commumism. The story evolved from the popularization of tourism and holidaymaking among Yugoslav citizens in the 1950s and 1960s to the consumer practices of the 1970s and 1980s. It reviews tourism as a political, economic and social project of the Yugoslav federal state, and as a crucial field of social integration. The book investigates how socialist and Yugoslav ideologies aimed to turn workers into consumers of "purposeful" leisure, and how these ideas were set against actual practices of recreation and holidaymaking.

Genres: History

410 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Brent Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an American growing up in the 1970s I remember Yugoslavia being lumped in with all the other Eastern Bloc Communist countries. After visiting Croatia and Slovenia, I was inspired to do some additional research on the history of the country. This book was one of the most interesting because it details not only the government efforts to organize worker holidays, but also personal recollections by people who lived in the Balkan country during this time. Several authors contribute chapters on topics like the media's role in holidaymaking in Yugoslavia, Youth Brigades and the effect of foreign travel on the local economy. Can be rather academic at times, but there is information here that you cannot find anywhere else.