The Red Riviera

Gender, Tourism, and Postsocialism on the Black Sea

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Labour & Industrial Relations, Social Science, Gender Studies, Women&, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Red Riviera by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman ISBN: 9780822387176
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: November 2, 2005
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
ISBN: 9780822387176
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: November 2, 2005
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

This compelling ethnography of women working in Bulgaria’s popular sea and ski resorts challenges the idea that women have consistently fared worse than men in Eastern Europe’s transition from socialism to a market economy. For decades western European tourists have flocked to Bulgaria’s beautiful beaches and mountains; tourism is today one of the few successful—and expanding—sectors of the country’s economy. Even at the highest levels of management, employment in the tourism industry has long been dominated by women. Kristen Ghodsee explains why this is and how women working in the industry have successfully negotiated their way through Bulgaria’s capitalist transformation while the fortunes of most of the population have plummeted. She highlights how, prior to 1989, the communist planners sought to create full employment for all at the same time that they steered women into the service sector. The women given jobs in tourism obtained higher educations, foreign language skills, and experiences working with Westerners, all of which positioned them to take advantage of the institutional changes eventually brought about by privatization.

Interspersed throughout The Red Riviera are vivid examinations of the lives of Bulgarian women, including a waitress, a tour operator, a chef, a maid, a receptionist, and a travel agent. Through these women’s stories, Ghodsee describes their employment prior to 1989 and after. She considers the postsocialist forces that have shaped the tourist industry over the past fifteen years: the emergence of a new democratic state, the small but increasing interest of foreign investors and transnational corporations, and the proliferation of ngos. Ghodsee suggests that many of the ngos, by insisting that Bulgarian women are necessarily disenfranchised, ignore their significant professional successes.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This compelling ethnography of women working in Bulgaria’s popular sea and ski resorts challenges the idea that women have consistently fared worse than men in Eastern Europe’s transition from socialism to a market economy. For decades western European tourists have flocked to Bulgaria’s beautiful beaches and mountains; tourism is today one of the few successful—and expanding—sectors of the country’s economy. Even at the highest levels of management, employment in the tourism industry has long been dominated by women. Kristen Ghodsee explains why this is and how women working in the industry have successfully negotiated their way through Bulgaria’s capitalist transformation while the fortunes of most of the population have plummeted. She highlights how, prior to 1989, the communist planners sought to create full employment for all at the same time that they steered women into the service sector. The women given jobs in tourism obtained higher educations, foreign language skills, and experiences working with Westerners, all of which positioned them to take advantage of the institutional changes eventually brought about by privatization.

Interspersed throughout The Red Riviera are vivid examinations of the lives of Bulgarian women, including a waitress, a tour operator, a chef, a maid, a receptionist, and a travel agent. Through these women’s stories, Ghodsee describes their employment prior to 1989 and after. She considers the postsocialist forces that have shaped the tourist industry over the past fifteen years: the emergence of a new democratic state, the small but increasing interest of foreign investors and transnational corporations, and the proliferation of ngos. Ghodsee suggests that many of the ngos, by insisting that Bulgarian women are necessarily disenfranchised, ignore their significant professional successes.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book At the Edge of Sight by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book In Defense of Honor by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Black Business in the New South by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book The Politics of Liberal Education by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Dialogues/Dialogi by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Victims of the Chilean Miracle by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Racial Revolutions by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Reproducing Jews by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book The Myth of Political Correctness by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Flying Saucers Rock 'n' Roll by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Hold It Against Me by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Politics, Metaphysics, and Death by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Genocide by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book The Tatars of Crimea by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
Cover of the book Dark Designs and Visual Culture by Kristen Ghodsee, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Robyn Wiegman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy