Children's Health Camp in Bulgaria During the Socialist Period

The child health care system during the Socialist period is a subject of a number of recent in-depth studies by Bulgarian historians, sociologists and anthropologists. Based on extensive research and knowledge of the variety of children/student/pioneer camps during the second half of the 20th century, this article aims to draw attention to the health camp. Situated as an organization and normative basis between “public health care” and “communist education”, the convalescent camp with its history and functions reveals unexplored ethnological fields related to the individual–society–Totalitarian State relationship. The systematized and analysed archival documentation provides grounds to look for parallels, both between the different political regimes in Bulgaria and in the value-normative order.