BB: Shipbuilding Knowledge: Yugoslav Socialism, Documentaries and Community

The major progress and breaking into the world market for largest Yugoslav shipyards (Uljanik, 3. Maj & Brodosplit) happened during the socialist period, starting from the early 1950’s. This breakthrough implied diplomatic and professional meetings, ship christening ceremonies, and technical innovations. These important and not only local events were recorded on documentaries of various genres – newsreels, industrial and technical films, TV shows and commercial films that had twofold role: they had to inform larger audience of technical successes but also, in different period with different intensities, to coopt workforce in shipyards. Moreover, in late ‘50’s an important and in this part of Europe unique scientific institution in Zagreb was founded – Ship Research Institute (Brodarski institut). In this presentation I will try to show that these institutions shouldn’t be seen separately but as a complex network that achieved technical progresses and business successes on which local communities prospered.     

Andrea Matošević is an anthropologist and full professor at the Faculty of Humanities in Pula and the Centre for Cultural and Historical Research of Socialism at Juraj Dobrila University of Pula. His fields of research include the anthropology of socialism and postsocialism, oral history, industrial anthropology, popular culture, and philosophy.