Intangible Industrial Heritage of Vela Luka: Oral Histories of Fabrika, Ambalaža and Greben
Intangible Industrial Heritage of Vela Luka: Oral Histories of Fabrika, Ambalaža and Greben

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines how the industrial heritage of Vela Luka is currently perceived and in what ways it can be revived, following the collapse of the manufacturing sector, namely Ambalaža (a tin packaging factory), Fabrika (a fish processing factory), and the shipyard at Greben. Based on participant observation, audio recordings and interviews with former factory workers, particular dichotomies emerge with regard to co-existing histories and narratives. These personal micro(hi)stories and local memories off er new insight into the perception and construction of industrial heritage and local identity. This research, based on oral history and the ethnography of everyday life, represents a first attempt at formal recognition and revalorisation of the tie between industrial heritage and the memory of the local community in Vela Luka. We also discuss the role of informal and intimate memory pertaining to industrial labour, with special emphasis on the memory of female workers, and its importance for the formation of local working-class-centred heritage.

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