Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies

Culture of hits vs. culture of niches -
cultural industries and processes of
cultural identification in Croatia 1
Jaka Primorac
Abstract
The transition and transformation of the post-socialist societies have brought a shift
from the homogeneous model of national cultural identity towards models that promote
individual choices and tastes. The new identitarian models are open to a multiplicity of
value orientations, as well as to a plurality of choices inside one’s own culture. In this
paper, cultural deterritorialization, translocality and cultural globalization are discussed
in order to identify the context of the recent cultural changes in Croatia. Furthermore,
an analysis of cultural consumption and cultural production outlines the cultures of hits
and niches as newly emerging cultures in Croatia and in SEE. They are emerging under
the influence of new technologies and cultural industries, particularly those developed
in contemporary Western cultures. The article shows how the opportunities that niche
cultures bring are not fully developed, while the cultural objects of the global cultural
industry dominate the local cultural scene.
Key words: cultural industries, culture of hits, culture of niches, new identitarian
models
The transition changes that have occurred in Croatia in the last twenty years or so
have brought about transformations in all fields of activity and thus in the cultural field
as well. After the turbulent times of the transition period, it can be said that culture
Note:
This article is based on the previously published chapter: Primorac, J. (2010) “Od
globalne kulturne industrije do kultura niša: Kulturna potrošnja i kulturna proizvodnja
u Hrvatskoj” in Švob-Đokić, N. (ed.) Kultura/Multikultura, Naklada Jesenski i Turk,
Hrvatsko sociološko društvo: Zagreb.
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