The Ghetto is about my impressions of a factory whose workers are main
ly women. It was my first participant observation study. I worked in t
his factory for 6 months. Changes in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe were
yet to come. I look back on my own life: What did communism intend to
do with Bulgarian women, and how far has it succeeded? Three years ago
, Europe enthusiastically welcomed the changes in the former socialist
countries. Today we all feel as if a wet blanket has been put on us.
The transition from total communism to democracy has turned out to be
difficult, painful, and full of danger. Ready-made recipes do not exis
t. The war in Yugoslavia has been raging for a year now. Europe and th
e world are helpless. The former Soviet Union is an unknown quantity.
I believe that my fears, hopes, and despair are shared by thousands of
Bulgarians. Are we all puppets in a theatre of absurdity? Who is pull
ing the strings? Communism is dying away, but nationalism is gaining m
omentum worldwide. The Ghetto is a personal view of events in Bulgaria
.