The historically situated Croat: a critical ethnographic investigation of post-war consumer behaviour in relation to museum/heritage consumption as linked to individual identity re-construction in Croatia

The thesis focuses on a distinct aspect of Consumer Behaviour, the consumption of the past through the museum or heritage site within post-war Croatia. Through the application of an inductive, qualitative methodology, "Critical Ethnography", an integrated theory of individual identity formation, which is both social and psychological in nature, is presented. The thesis, which is the culmination of theory building, has been guided by in-depth interviews, observation of behaviour and the incorporation of theoretically sensitising literature. As a result of reflexive integration of both the data and the literature, a provisional six subcategories of behaviour, which illuminated the effect of heritage consumption upon individual identity formation within a post war setting was identified. The initial six sub-categories underwent the process of `reduction' and were reduced to a final three (Miles & Huberman, 2000). These three categories, which constitute the developed theory are analysed in relation to the different ways of constructing meaning and experiences within the museum/heritage context. The labels assigned to each of the developed categories, the "Fragmented self', the "Paraphrenic self' and the "Enlightened self' are a reflection of a part of the self, which identifies to varying extents with the ascribed post-war identity of "Croat". Furthermore the three explanatory categories of behaviour look into the various ways with which the individual subject reflects upon and interprets his/her own past in relation to the formation of an acceptable post-war conception of his/her individual identity.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wolverhampton

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Domic, Dino

Licence

• https://wlv.dspace7.openrepository.com/bitstreams/9fb10ed1-6339-4436-add9-b104f7000eb8/download