A holographic recording material comprising a polymer containing vinylcarbazole rings, a cyclic cis-a-dicarbonyl compound capable of forming a radical by irradiation by light and a dye which is able to serve as either a photosensitizer or a spectral sensitizer. A hologram can be obtained by exposing the holographic recording material to an interference pattern of visible electromagnetic radiation to form a holographic interference pattern, subjecting the material to swelling treatment in a first medium, and then subjecting the material to a contraction treatment in a second medium.