Sociology and Space, No. 77-78, 1982.
Professional paper
The Peasantry of the Slunj District in the Inter War Period
Svetozar Livada
Abstract
The author first gives a sociological
picture of the region- Farming was
self sufficient and the village community
traditionally structured. Static
village life and the patriarchal structure
reproduced poverty. The ecological
foundation was very bad, and
there was an unusually high natural
population increase. 49.7% of the population
was under 19 years of age.
There were more than 55.5% illiterate
persons over 11, and illiteracy among
women exceeded 82%.
As this is a carst region with limited
possibilities for farming, the harvest
from the small peasant farms were not
sufficient even to sustain the family.
»Old corn lasted until the new corn
came« only in every tenth household
There was less livestock than there
were inhabitants. In the 1931 census
there were two fowls per each of the
45.000 inhabitants.
A non-varied low-calory diet with no
animal fats or vitamins resulted in the
development of typical social diseases
— tuberculosis, avitaminosis, skin diseases
etc. Want and poverty were general,
and people did not ask what a
person had died of, but »what he had
lived off«
In conclusion the author gives a survey
of the foundations of life, describing
farming capacities, inventory, the housing
fund, purchasing power, clothing,
collective consciousness; in other
words, the socio-cultural life of the
village of this region.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
119623
URI
Publication date:
20.12.1982.
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