The Red Riviera: Gender, Tourism, and Postsocialism on the Black Sea

Next Wave: New Directions in Women's Studies

by Kristen R. Ghodsee

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 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.

Genres: History, Bulgaria, Anthropology

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Kristen R. Ghodsee an award-winning author and ethnographer. She is professor of Russian and East European Studies and a member of the Graduate Group in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work has been translated into over twenty-five languages and has appeared in publications such as Foreign Affairs, Dissent, Jacobin, Ms. Magazine, The New Republic, Le Monde Diplomatique, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, She is the author of 12 books, and she is the host of the podcast, A.K. 47, which discusses the works of the Russian Bolshevik, Alexandra Kollontai. Her latest book is Everyday Utopia: What 2000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life, which appeared with Simon & Schuster in May 2023.

She loves popcorn, manual typewriters, and Bassett hounds.

Website: www.kristenghodsee.com
Podcast: ak47.buzzsprout.com

Reviews

[Katie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

alright well this is obviously someone’s gender studies textbook that I found at a little free library but this was a fun read!

I was really about to give this a higher rating because it was easily readable and interesting on a subject I knew literally nothing about. The NGO discussion kinda threw me. I am withyouqueen when she calls most advocacy groups (I’ll say it, anywhere) “creating jobs for the educated unemployed” that don’t actually solve anything. HEARD there. However being like and also domestic violence is an imported western concept. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh??

Anyway learned a lot. Bulgarians seem cool. If you’re Bulgarian and want to be my friend hmu

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of the best books i read at swarthmore. it inspired my crush on bulgaria.

[Suzanne Hoffman]

I clicked on wrong book. Did not read, but unable to delete.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Thoughts: I had to read this as a textbook for my anthropology class. It turned out to be more interesting than I thought. I felt that, at times, the author was repeating a lot of information but, considering that this was a textbook for me, it was a good thing because I could retain the information she was giving the reader. There was a lot of information to take in. I thought that I would hate this book but it was actually pretty good. I love finding out how other people in the world live, even if it isn't all bright and sunny there.

This is the type of book that makes you want to talk about what is going on in the world. You want to talk about those issues that affect women, and all people.

There are enough pictures in the book to explain the setting. The country and areas which the author refers to are clearly described and so are the people that she interviewed. It was great to have the point of view of those that lived this life, not just someone standing on the outside looking in.

I also must say, though it's kind of rude of me, that I'm glad the author didn't say the solution to the countries problems would to be more like Americans. The west isn't as great as it seems. At times, though I know it has a lot of downsides and I didn't have to live through what these people did, I believed that their old way of running things sounded better than dealing with all their hard times. Maybe I was just looking for an easy way out.

I cannot imagine what the lives of these people are really like but it was great to get a small glimpse of it. I really feel for these people.

To Finish: I thought this was a fairly good book. It wouldn't be something that I would have just picked up for fun but it was still interesting. If you are interested in the world, other countries, or economics then you should check out this book. It's short, a quick read.

http://one-chapter-ahead.blogspot.ca/

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an very interesting ethnography concerning women employed within the tourism industry in recently postsocialist Bulgaria. Ghodsee highlights commonly misunderstood assumptions concerning gender disparities, the transition from communism to capitalism, and the concerns of Bulgarians today. Ghodsee further analyzes how western ideals or ''solutions' to problems such as unemployment and lack of education will not necessarily solve problems in postsocialist countries due to differences in prior perspectives and ways of life. Overall, a very stimulating, quick, and educational read.

[Ke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it is because I have never been to the Black Sea, so I had a hard time imagining the setting of the study. Still, the book gave me a better idea of the lives of those working in that tourism industry.