Women and Capitalism in the Croatian Hinterland

The Practice of Labor and Consumption

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.