Nationalism, Social Movement Theory and the Grass Roots Movement of Kosovo Serbs, 1985-1988

Abstract

Ethnic grievances, memories of earlier conflicts and national identities account for the intensity of feelings and support for nationalist collective action, but fail to explain its timing and trajectories. Like other social movements, nationalist movements emerge in response to changes in political context and their development and outcomes largely depend on their protest strategies and location in broader waves of mobilization, in which they are usually embedded. The evidence from local media sources and interviews with participants suggests that the grass roots mobilization of Kosovo Serbs pre-dated the rise of Milosevic (Milosevic). Despite interaction, even co-operation with the authorities and dissident intellectuals, the movement remained an autonomous political factor and had a disproportionate impact on political developments in Yugoslavia between 1985 and 1988 - Nebojsa Vladisavljevic