The article investigates the conditions which contributed to the Slovenian town of Tolmin becoming a “festival town”. On the basis of a study of a palette of festivals, the distinction is made between festivals which originate outside the area, are designed to make a profit and therefore involve large numbers, and festivals with a background in locality (in reference to Arjun Appadurai, “locality” is here primarily understood in connection to identification). The article argues that the two festival concepts both contribute to the production of locality, but in different ways.
COBISS.SI-ID: 46603106
In Slovenia in the last decade the number of public events termed “festival” has increased dramatically. We are witnessing a true “festivalization” of culture. The article presents some ethnological, anthropological and humanistic theories on festivals. In addition, by using ethnographic data the author also develops his thesis on festival production of locality. According to it, a part of festival (hyper) production can be linked to structures of local identification.
COBISS.SI-ID: 47741538
Subcultural popular music festivals can be seen as a form of tourism, but we should also take into account that they can provoke uncomfort in their host communities. The article discusses festivals in Tolmin, where they appeared without planning, seemingly out of the blue, and became part of tourism. Social and spatial factors important for these festivals' implementation and development are discussed. Of key importance was the response of local inhabitants, who accepted the festivals as their own since through them they could achieve an image of centrality.
COBISS.SI-ID: 50921058
The article discusses the positive attitude of Tolminians toward the Metal Camp international festival in Tolmin. This relationship can be analysed by taking into account the marginalisation of the area (also through emigration). The festival operationalises the tourism construction of the area, brings in a mass of visitors, and places the town at the centre of a certain imaginary geography. With it locals become proud locals. The concept of "geography of marginality" is proposed, which encompasses both the emic feeling of being located at the margin and the related production of geographic imaginaries which symbolically reconstructs and redefines existing geographic relations.
COBISS.SI-ID: 49609058
In the modern world local identity can not be treated only through the interaction between local community and its neighbours (or more distant communities), which leads to symbolic actualization of tradition (or "symbolic construction of community"), as it was discussed by certain key authors in this field (first of all Anthony P. Cohen). Besides such immediate contacts of local community members and "others", it is necessary today, when various mass media play vital role in people's lives, to consider the mass media construction of community and other mediated images of locals and "their" places (produced by tourism, marketing, popular culture etc.).
COBISS.SI-ID: 49188450