Slovenski etnografski muzej

Številka revije 
Etnolog 6 (1996)
Strani 
295-328
Avtor 
Mojca Ramšak
Članek v pdf obliki 
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The living conditions of vineyard labourers in the hills of Svečina before the Second World War

The author first presents a historical survey of vineyard labour in Slovenia and then describes the living conditions of vineyard labourers in Svečina near Zgornja Kungota in the north-western part of Slovenske gorice before the Second World War. She is mainly interested in the work itself, the relation to the land, the housing conditions and nutrition of the labourers, their social hierarchy and family life. Presenting a series of segments illustrating the actual social and historical living conditions of vineyard labourers she tries to refute some fabrications which misinterpret the relations between vineyard owners and their labourers in order to present them in a better light than is supported try the facts. Field work and written sources provide ample evidence that the living conditions of vineyard labourers in Svečina were indeed dreadful and often intolerable. Nevertheless, this cannot be generalised for all vineyard labourers since their living conditions generally depended on whom they worked for. As a rule, competent vineyard owners managed to hire worthy and able labourers. In spite of these facts, the nineties have brought fears that the introduction of the denationalisation law will lead to a (perhaps informal) re-establishment of the past relationships between vineyard owners and labourers.