Car Theft, Transition and Transgression in Bulgaria

Car Theft, Transition and Transgression in Bulgaria

This paper examines how Bulgaria, an Eastern European country, adopts a marginal social practice during its transition from a predominantly working class culture towards market economy and nouveau entrepreneurship under the framework of accession to the European Union. The EU enlargement is based on the premise of a Europe without borders; yet, as national borders are gradually eradicated, new boundaries are erected to keep the insider/outsider, self/other dichotomy intact. Despite the rhetoric of an integrated Europe, Bulgarian identity remains at the margins of the European cultural center. The Copenhagen criteria mean that for Bulgaria, the time has come to abandon the ghosts of its past and embrace its future. Yet, for many, the glass of progress towards a functioning market economy remains half-empty: the future everyone dreams about has not arrived yet for those who have to fight with the unexpectedly high rates of transition inflation, unemployment, and crime rates. As for the other half of the glass, it is full of pre-transition ghost memories. All too often, the gray, ugly, unflattering landscape of the old regime is emotionally charged with deep nostalgia for a place that once was so familiar, but now is “other”. State sponsored cradle-to-grave welfare, full employment, and low crime rates represent the lighter side of the old regime¹. For those who remain reluctant to let go off their ghosts, the transition from state socialism to market economy signifies more than economic data indicating incremental progress. For individuals under transition, fulfilling the community acquis is not the number one goal; surviving is.

The paper looks into the changing property regime and class nature in Bulgaria to analyze how it affects Bulgarian subjectivity. Specifically, it interprets the car theft phenomenon in Bulgaria as a means of everyday resistance to the hegemonic aspects of such changes. Car theft is defined as a common civilian practice: anonymous, disguised and opportunistic. From the perspective of the EU, it is seen as a problematic activity on the Eastern European territory. In Bulgaria, however, the enterprise of car theft (which can also be considered as a newly invented property exchange regime in the “free” market economy) mirrors the opportunistic, liberal, pragmatic geography of Bulgaria’s failed transition and might signify a new way of traveling in-between closed systems of immobility for the people. In car theft, we can see a brute, commodified interpretation of market economy as “the survival of the fittest” in a Hobbesian world where actors no longer enjoy cradle-to-grave security, rather, they are in a state of a perpetual struggle for survival. These nouveau entrepreneurs view the regime ancien as null and void, the social contract based on state ownership, which legitimated the ancient regime is no longer valid, while the new property regime of liberalization and privatization lacks the proper institutions to legitimize itself. Therefore, the ensuing legitimacy gap is seized by opportunistic actors as a profitable way to create an alternative exchange market, where stolen cars become a fetishized commodity.

Tom Gallagher ,The Balkans after the Cold War : From Tyranny to Tragedy, London New York : Routledge, 2003

“Goin’ to Jackson”: A Look at the Politics of Mobilityand Country Music

Country music songs are sprinkled with tales of hardship and struggle that come along with the lived experiences of working class culture. One recurring theme throughout country music is the concept of mobility and home.  I will be focusing specifically on the lyrics of Johnny Cash’s music and the idea of mobility.  I will be addressing the politics of mobility in regards to the lives of the working class.

 The idea of home and location is such a fragile aspect of the working class existence. Johnny Cash’s music is thought to be representative of the working-class struggle and lives.  Using the lyrics of his songs I will be examining the concepts of home and mobility in regards to class and gender. By examining the juxtaposition of working class mobility and America’s romance with the notion of home I will be looking at the fragility associated with the working-class sense of home present in the lyrics of country music.

Other panelists in this roundtable include Paul Durrenberger, Suzan Erem, Jennifer Nicols, and Rob O'Brien. With a focus on working-class advocacy, this roundtable takes a critical look at the relationship between scholarship and activism today.  We will open a dialogue between activists working outside of academia, and scholars who attempt to lobby for the interests of working-class and poor people from their positions within the Ivory Tower.  Drawing from the biographies and experiences of panelists and audience members, we will posit the question of whether, and to what extent, the feeling of a need to "exit" academia, in order to support social change in the "real world," is as strong today as it was a generation ago.   Building toward a constructive dialogue, this roundtable discussion will also focus on concrete examples of how alliances between labor and social justice activists working inside and outside of academia might be strengthened.