Deema Kaneff. 2003. Who Owns the Past?: The Politics of Time in a 'Model'
Bulgarian Village. New York: Berghahn Books.
"In this study of politics and
the past in contemporary Bulgaria, the author examines the complicated ways in
which ideologies of the past are used to make claims to power and resources in
the present, and are transformed under different political regimes. Drawing on
more than a decade of research in the village of Talpa, she shows how during
socialism local-centre relations were played out through the skilled 'use' of
three pasts (history, folklore and tradition). Through strategic acquiescence to
socialist ideology, Talpa achieved the officially recognized status of 'model'
village, with resulting advantageous access to state controlled resources and
privileges." After the fall of communism, postsocialist reforms generated a
revaluation of the past, a reconfiguration of local power relations and a
breakdown of ties between the state centre and periphery. Once a 'model'
village, Talpa now faces economic uncertainty and stagnation. Nevertheless, new
strategies for engaging in the postsocialist state are being carved out in the
face of both continued 'nostalgia' for socialism and disenchantment with the
reforms. Such phenomena are not restricted to rural Bulgaria, but common
throughout the east European countryside; this book helps us to understand the
processes of continuity and change.
Deema Kaneff is senior researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Social
Anthropology in Germany.
Table of Contents Acknowledgements
Abbreviations Glossary
Introduction: Politics and the Past
A 'Model Village'
Socialist History, Politics and Morality
Contesting History
The Character of Traditions
Tradition and History: Contrasting Constructions of the Past
Folklore in a New Bulgarian Village
Conclusion: A New Model for the Village
Appendix 1: 9 September 1987
Appendix 2: Eulogy
References
Index
240 pages, bibliography, index.
Hardback $59.95/£40.00
ISBN 1-57181-534-1
"In this study of politics and
the past in contemporary Bulgaria, the author examines the complicated ways in
which ideologies of the past are used to make claims to power and resources in
the present, and are transformed under different political regimes. Drawing on
more than a decade of research in the village of Talpa, she shows how during
socialism local-centre relations were played out through the skilled 'use' of
three pasts (history, folklore and tradition). Through strategic acquiescence to
socialist ideology, Talpa achieved the officially recognized status of 'model'
village, with resulting advantageous access to state controlled resources and
privileges." After the fall of communism, postsocialist reforms generated a
revaluation of the past, a reconfiguration of local power relations and a
breakdown of ties between the state centre and periphery. Once a 'model'
village, Talpa now faces economic uncertainty and stagnation. Nevertheless, new
strategies for engaging in the postsocialist state are being carved out in the
face of both continued 'nostalgia' for socialism and disenchantment with the
reforms. Such phenomena are not restricted to rural Bulgaria, but common
throughout the east European countryside; this book helps us to understand the
processes of continuity and change.