The Titoaffect: Tracing Objects and Memories of Socialism in Postsocialist Croatia

Josip Broz Tito was the personification of the Yugoslav state for 35 years. Starting from specific scenes where objects referring to him are visible in contemporary Croatia, the authors of Chapter 5 give examples from the post-Yugoslav affective zones: a portrait of the leader appears as a gift and ruins a birthday party; his name is found spelled out in roses in a public park; small busts and bric-a-brac are sold at flea-markets. In different ways they all invoke what the authors of this chapter call ‘Titoaffect’. This is a state composed of a mix of affects such as indignation, repugnance, and shock that lead to emotional states of introspection and remembrance of days gone by. They demonstrate that in spite of Tito constantly being denounced in the political realm, his memory still summons a range of more or less silent affective communities.