Mary Catherine Neuburger

This project examines the cultural history of the production and consumption of tobacco and rose oil in Bulgaria from 1878 to 1989. The politics and cultural appraisal of production and consumption provide a fertile ground for unearthing intertwined roots of economic, intellectual, and everyday historical experience. It explores how the commodification of rose oil and tobacco drove the emergence of new social strata—that is merchants, workers, etc.—with novel desires and demands within Bulgarian society. It also investigates Bulgarian practices and debates about propriety, health, hygiene, and civilization in connection to consumption of these commodities, and how Bulgarians understood and incorporated them into social identities in various ways.

March 9-10, 2012 in Austin, TX; organized by Mary Neuburger (University of Texas at Austin)