In the Land of Orpheus: Rural Livelihoods and Nature Conservation in Postsocialist Bulgaria

In the Land of Orpheus provides a rich ethnographic description of village life and conservation efforts in an ecologically important region of one of the most biologically diverse countries in Europe. Barbara Cellarius describes natural resource use and economic survival strategies in a rural Rhodope Mountain village and the ways in which the lives of residents of a rural community are affected by outside forces, particularly the economic and political uncertainties that have plagued Bulgaria since the collapse of communism.  She examines larger forces, including environmental nongovernmental organizations, interested in linking global conservation priorities with local communities.

Barbara A. Cellarius is a cultural anthropologist and subsistence specialist in the Division of Natural and Cultural Resources, Wrangell&;St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Copper Center, Alaska.