Serbian Identity Research Articles

PLATFORMS OF EXPANSIONISM: A COMPARISON OF RUSSIA'S NARRATIVES FOR UKRAINE AND SERBIA'S NARRATIVES FOR KOSOVO

Following the invasion of Crimea by Russia, there has been a significant shift in academic focus towards the study of Ukraine. Russia's efforts to establish a new warfront in the Western Balkans have drawn attention to the developments in the region. This paper offers a comparative analysis of the narratives put forth by Russia concerning Ukraine and Serbia's perspectives on Kosovo. Both Russia and Serbia have constructed fake narratives that present their geopolitical disputes as issues of historical and national identity and territorial integrity. In the case of Russia, the narratives regarding Ukraine underscore a shared history, the protection of ethnic Russians, while contesting Ukrainian sovereignty. Similarly, Serbia's narratives about Kosovo emphasize the cultural and historical significance of Kosovo, drawing its fake narrative for Kosovo as integral to Serbian identity and rejecting its independence as illegitimate and imposed by foreign powers. By delving into official discourse and media representations, this study aims to explore three core narratives used as expansionist platforms: historical and national identity narratives, the narrative of victimization and the narratives on the legitimacy of statehood and sovereignty and how these narratives are utilized within domestic and international spheres to gain internal and international support, legitimize policies, and perpetuate a sense of victimhood. The paper contends that although the contexts differ, the strategic deployment of historical grievances, ethnic unity, and anti-Western sentiment forms a common platform in the expansionist approaches of Russia and Serbia.

"KOSOVIZATION" OF SERBIAN MONUMENTAL CULTURE AND CREATION OF NEW IDENTITIES

Starting from the sociological understanding of culture as a set of determinants that channel social movements, the authors analyze the complex Kosovo-Metohija reality with a focus on material monumental heritage and its destruction with the aim of political revision of the past and falsification of Albanian identity. The vandalism of ethnic-religious instrumentalized Albanian groups is concealed by the construction of a media memory of collective memories, which aims at a manipulative strategy of gradually gaining the political support of world opinion. The analysis of characteristic case studies proved the destructiveness of the devastation of the monumental heritage for the Serbian identity, because without the symbolic bearers of the past, the national community that created also disappears. Demolished cemeteries, burned monasteries and churches, with expelled Serbs as bearers of symbolic meaning, opened up space for Albanian nationalists who, by "Kosovizing" Serbian cultural heritage, create their own identity, with the intention of showing that they have always lived in these areas. The theoretical framework is based on British cultural studies that use numerous forms of memorial culture to replace identity and change the culture of memory.

Which Side Are You On? Integration of Two Conflicting Ethnic Identities in Children from Serbo-Croatian Mixed Marriages

Children from Serbian-Croatian mixed marriages face challenges reconciling two potentially conflicting ethnic identities due to implicit and explicit tensions between these two ethnic communities. This article explores the process of reconciling these ethnic identities, focusing on the respondents' narratives about growing up in a Serbian-Croatian mixed marriage. Our sample consisted of 5 male and 3 female respondents born during the 90s, which were marked by brutal conflicts between Serbia and Croatia. The results show that the participants went through the process of forming a coherent ethnic identity, which was marked by distancing from the dominant Serbian influence, and the majority of them opted for a specific identity position: cosmopolitan, Yugoslav, Serbo-Croatian, and a more integral form of the dominant Serbian identity.

Сербское православие как сторона, фактор и предмет культурных войн

The article defines Orthodoxy as an essential component of Serbian spirituality and national identity. Nowadays, Orthodoxy and the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) have become simultaneously a party, factor and subject of cultural wars waged on a global level between traditionalists/patriots, on the one hand, and globalists/universalists/ultra-liberals, on the other (A. C. Webb). A cultural war is understood as an irreconcilable conflict between parties that transmit opposing values that affect the spirituality, mentality and identity of individuals, as well as entire peoples and civilizations. It demonstrates both the unacceptability of Orthodoxy for globalism and the globalist desire to subjugate it, deform it and use it in its own interests. The SOC is an active party in this conflict, being both the guardian and defender of Serbian spirituality. Its position is complicated by the course of the “third way between East and West” of the Serbian authorities, oriented towards European integration, and the extremely aggravated situation with the ancestral home of Serbian spirituality – Kosovo and Metohija. Negative trends are associated with the policy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which seeks to limit the influence of the SOC with the Republic of Serbia and establish its control over the remaining territories. Representatives of the “other Serbia” present Orthodoxy as outdated, irrelevant for modern people, and even covering up “Serbian chauvinism.” Patriots see in it the basis of Serbian identity and a spiritual bond with the Russian people.

Creating a Place: Identities Shaped by the Material Traces of the Past. Case-study of the Old Town of Užice


 The paper rests on the idea that the meanings and values of a place are flexible and changing, depending on the cultural and social values. The inhabitants of a certain place share the associations concerning it and its built elements. These shared associations or experiences create the perception of unity and shape a community. Various meanings were ascribed to the Old Town of Užice from the second half of the 14th century until 1863, when it was devastated. During the last four centuries of its existence, it presented a threat for the Christian inhabitants, so after its Turkish crew left, “the Serbs hastily destroyed the fort”. The survey conducted in 2013 showed that neither its position at the outskirts of the modern city, nor its special status gained by the administrative protection (granted in 1949) were sufficient to generate the positive attitude by the local population. By the beginning of the 21st century the Old Town was neglected and did not take part in the life of the modern settlement. With the dissolution of the former state and the abandonment of the traditions associated to the anti-Fascist struggle, Užice lost its esteem. The local authorities, dissatisfied by their position in the changed economic and political circumstances, decided to prioritize the rehabilitation of the Old Town in their strategy of the city regeneration. This meant the reconstruction of the Medieval fortress of Nikola Altomanović (14th cent.), and the Turkish period in the development of the Old Town was totally silenced. The official portals emphasize the Medieval past of the Old Town, in accordance with the modern Serbian identity, that was built and is still confirmed by the research and promotion of the Medieval history and its material traces. The narrative of the organic links between the modern nation and the Medieval heritage is fundamentally naturalized, indicating the Authorized Heritage Discourse in action, and the influence of the state and the experts on the relations a community creates towards the past. The processes that led to the reconstruction of the Old Town confirm that the relationship to spaces is not pre-defined by their physical characteristics, nor stable. The example of Užice vividly illustrates that a society always chooses which values should be emphasized, and which are the ones to be silenced or forgotten.

On The Making of White American Identity: Ron Eyerman and Eric Taylor Woods in Conversation

In this article, Eric Taylor Woods asks Ron Eyerman about the motivations, methods, and ideas that informed the writing of his recent book, The Making of White American Identity (2022). The conversation focuses particularly on the significance of racism, the Civil War, and popular culture in the founding and sustaining of white American identity as a mobilizing force in American politics. Along the way, Woods and Eyerman discuss the comparability of white American identity with other collective identities, including Northern Irish Unionism; Serbian Identity; and Afrikaner Identity. The aim of printing this conversation is to provoke further research and debate on the cultural sociology of white American identity.

‘Sympathy for the Devil?’ McDonald’s between imperialism and the building of post-Yugoslav Serbian identity

Abstract Since the opening of its first restaurant in a communist country, which was Yugoslavia, not only is the huge success of the U.S. franchise something that was merely not supposed to happen, but ‘consuming McDonald’s’ has left its mark on the post ‑Yugoslav identity building process. Our central argument is that the singularity of the ‘McDonaldization of Serbia’ encompasses the interactions between expansion/ localness, dominance/adaptation and those who take part in this historical process which spans more than three decades, their responses that apprise, shape and constrain their everyday life conditions. This paper starts from the observation that most of the existing scholarly literature on identity building addresses the end of the Yugoslav experience whether through state narratives or identities introverted. We chose a different and understudied angle, which is a people ‑centred perspective. Accordingly, this paper uses different research methods under the umbrella of a biographical perspective from 1988 to 2021. Ethnographic fieldwork, comprising 45 semi ‑structured interviews with Belgradians, aims to expand scholarly knowledge on consumption and identity building in post ‑Yugoslav Serbia. In addition, conversations with influential individuals contributed to identify periods in the intermingled life of McDonald’s and people in contemporary Serbia. In the early 1990s, the McDonaldisation to some extent escalated cultural disputes between the republics against a backdrop of identity tensions. During the period spanning from the late years of Milosevic’s rule to the advent of Alexandar Vučić in 2012, political conflicts over sovereignty sparked ambiguous civic responses. Finally, McDonald’s has brought Serbs into the Western sphere which is probably best encapsulated in a local popular saying ‘McDonald’s is McDonald’s’ (‘Mek je Mek’), despite being considered ‘tasty’/unhealthy, expensive/rewarding or socially stimulating.

Re-framing Serbian identity within a global imaginary: Nation building through the Belgrade Waterfront project

The Belgrade Waterfront real estate development project has attracted a considerable amount of interest among scholars from various disciplines in a short period of time. Nevertheless, these works are limited in scope. This paper draws upon existing literature on nation building by first contextualizing it before adding insights from party strategies and cultural studies (with a particular focus on identity issues) research streams. It thus aims to contribute to the nascent debate about how the new ruling elite of Serbia uses such urban projects to emancipate from the nationalist rhetoric and supporting symbols of the 1990s. The main argument of this paper is that state narratives, media coverage and branded icons of Belgrade Waterfront illustrate political regime’s switch to the global to contain the national in order to build and publicize its own ‘revitalized’ idea of the nation and legitimize its take on power. The underlying strategy consists in manipulating individuals’ preferences by marginalizing opposition parties. The research design relies on a multi-method approach crossing participant and ethnographic observation over a period of 7 years, as well as a critical analysis of the Serbian regime’s discursive strategies and project’s branding efforts using an original visual material.

O drevnosti srpskog identiteta na Kosovu i Metohiji

In this text author used an analytical-synthetic method to present directions for proving the source of Serbian identity on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija or "Old Serbia", as was the name of this territory in the past. The author presented various sources to prove the antiquity of the Serbian Patriarchy of Pec and the formation of the territory of Kosovo and Metohija as a medieval center of statehood and spirituality of Serbian people. This medieval state with its own church jurisdiction, laws, moral values, economic achievements, national customs and manners, and other achievements continued and upgraded the previous church jurisdiction and cultural tradition of Prima Iustiniana. In the text, there is also underlined the significance of the territory of Kosovo and Metohija for Serbian identity in the historical and geopolitical context of genealogical, political, and cultural liaisons of members of the medieval Serbian Nemanjic dynasty with the members of the medieval Greek, Bulgarian, and Russian dynasties. For the purpose of argumentation of significant determinants of the territory of Kosovo and Metohija for Serbian identity, there are used various Serbian and world-historical sources such as the results of archeological research, Serbian medieval state documents, artifacts, heraldic and folk legends and beliefs in the context of historical processes which have shaped the Serbian identity and promoted the territory of Kosovo and Metohija as the cradle of Serbian identity throughout history.

Serbian Women’s Movement in Austria-Hungary from the Second Half of the Nineteenth to the Early Twentieth Centuries: Ideology, Organisations, and Leaders

This article explores the development of feminist ideology and the formation of the Serbian women’s movement in Austria-Hungary in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The emergence of the movement can be explained by the views put forward by the leaders of the Serbian political youth group Omladina, who outlined the role of women in nation-building processes, as well as in the formation of Serbian identity and the achievement of sovereignty in particular. The leaders of the socialist and liberal movements used the principal Serbian female images — assistants and mothers — for ethno-political mobilization. The image of the mother was of major importance for preserving a Serbian identity under the Habsburg rule, in the face of the threat of assimilation after the Compromise of 1867. The participation of women in solving national problems and their social importance led to the dissemination of feminist thinking and the subsequent emergence of the women’s movement. The article suggests that Draga Dejanović (1840–1871) and Milica Tomić (1859–1944) played an important role in this development. It was in the early 1870s that Dejanović advocated equal access to secondary and higher education and developed the idea of “enlightened motherhood”, which encouraged liberal figures of the national movement to defend the interests of women. In addition, mono-ethnic women’s groups pursuing humanism and education were established, providing women from privileged social strata with culturally acceptable means of participation in the public life of the Serbian community in Austria-Hungary. The Serbian women’s movement had undergone a significant ideological evolution perpetuated by the magazine Žena (“Woman”) and its editor-in-chief Milica Tomić. The article suggests that Milica Tomić initiated a realignment of the movement away from purely national goals and towards greater emancipation both on a social and a legal scale.

New manifestations and meanings of Orthodox Lity - preservation of identity and sacralization of space and time in the Belgrade’s (and broader Serbian) context

In the text, we primarily deal with the observation of the latest manifestations of the Orthodox lity procession ritual and ways of sacralising the space on the example of Belgrade. Accordingly, attention is also paid to the symbolism of different spatial landmarks, which is emphasized at the level of several semantic layers. Recent events have once again actualized the importance of the Lity procession ritual - deeply rooted in both folk tradition and religion - as well as its manifestations, both in the Republic of Serbia and in the wider Serbian ethnic area. The basic and most visible function of Lity is the consecration and marking of space, but also of time, with special significance for a certain ethnic-social context, community or place. However, Lity also have a pronounced cohesive and identity function, as was particularly clearly demonstrated in the example of the defense of holy sites, i.e. of basic religious rights, precisely through Lity in Montenegro. Consequently, Lity proved to be one of the most effective weapons against attempts to deconstruct the Serbian identity. In accordance with the relevant indicators, in our work, with a multidisciplinary approach, various structural and semantic dimensions and possibilities of Lity are considered. This primarily refers to the level of the Belgrade area, but in a more general sense it is also directly related to field and other research on related issues, which were carried out in a much wider area during the previous decades.

Pojmovna metonimija u medijskom pokrivanju dijaloga između Srbije i Kosova i Metohije u srpskim i anglofonim medijima

During the summer of 2022 tensions grew in the Balkans after Kosovo refused to recognise Serbian identity cards when entering their territory, reciprocating the same measure Serbia had taken previously. After this, Kosovo's government also declared that Serbian number plates would no longer be officially recognised in Kosovo and Metohija. This led to the EU-facilitated Dialogue between officials of Serbia and Kosovo. Our corpus consists of news published at the end of August 2022 which deal with the dialogue. The article deals with the analysis of conceptual metonymy in the media coverage of the abovementioned events in Serbian and anglophone media in order to determine whether a certain type of metonymy is more present in one of the languages. Given the fact that metonymies are a potent tool because of their subtlety in the text, the aim of the analysis is to isolate metonymies from the text and photographs in the news articles, and highlight possible implications of their use. Finally, the papers looks into how metonymy shapes the processing of the ideological background of these events.

Teza da su Srbi starosedeoci Balkana nije u neskladu sa hrišćanstvom

In this paper, we counter a set of interconnected claims: that the thesis stating the Serbs are indigenous to the Balkans is incompatible with Christianity, that it is a source and a carrier of heresy and paganism, and that it, as such, represents a threat to the national security of the Serbian people, because it attacks the Christian foundation of the Serbian identity. These claims were laid out by two theologians, who positioned themselves on the side of the mainstream of the Serbian humanities in their fight against the autochthonic thesis. We counter this complex claim as a logically incorrect, unfounded generalisation, built upon cherry-picked examples. Those do not, in any way, represent all of the advocates of the autochthonic thesis. We counter the claim by mentioning a counter-example, which shows that the autochthonic thesis is not incompatible with Christianity and is not necessarily associated with heresy and paganism. After briefly discussing the Christian belief of Miloš S. Milojević, the most well-known autochthonist, we gave more attention to discussing Vladika Nikolaj, as a representative example for our aim. As an orthodox Christian, he reached sainthood, while, at the same time trusting the sources and findings of studies springing from the autochthonic thesis. We conclude there is no basis for the position that the autochthonic thesis is an enemy of Christianity, and consequently the Serbian national identity. Spoiling of the Christian basis of Serbian identity comes from another side, not from the autochthonic thesis and studies, whether professional or amateur.

AFRICAN SWINE FEVER: A BIOSECURITY CHALLENGE FOR DOMESTIC PIG PRODUCTION IN SERBIA

African swine fever (ASF) is currently the most important challenge for domestic pig production worldwide. The virus reached Eurasia in 2007, and is today affecting more than half of European Union member countries. Among Western Balkan countries, Serbia suffered the first case of ASF in a backyard holding in 2019. Since then, numerous outbreaks in domestic pigs and wild boar have been reported throughout the country despite the efforts of the veterinary authorities to control the disease. The lack of an effective vaccine is one of the main constraints, and the only currently available option to prevent further ASF infections is the application of strict biosecurity measures. Regarding biosecurity, backyard pig producers and smallholding farmers in Serbia have substantial gaps in the knowledge and fail to comply with safe production behaviour that favours the spread of ASF virus. In the currently prevailing smallholder and backyards farming systems, farm biosecurity is largely non-existent. The aim of this review was to identify specific ASF-risks factors in the current pig production system and gaps in biosecurity measures related to the human activities recognised as social and cultural identity in Serbia. Moreover, the main risk factors for ASF spreading and transmission at the domestic/wild boar interface, biosecurity practices in different production systems, and possible future control measures and awareness campaigns are discussed.

Globalisation and Musical Identity: The Reception of Serbian Émigré Composers in the United States

Following the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s and the subsequent international economic sanctions imposed against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that lasted until the early 2000s, a substantial number of Serbian composers emigrated to the United States. While this mass exodus of composers and academics had a devastating effect on Serbian cultural life, such a shift, enabled by globalisation and commodification of music, created an interest in Serbian music and culture with American audiences. That is, Serbian émigré composers who fled Yugoslavia during the war conflict conveyed their Serbian identity musically by incorporating certain folk elements. This article examines the unique ways in which select Serbian composers––Aleksandra Vrebalov, Milica Paranosic, and Natasha Bogojevich––integrated their Serbian/Yugoslav background within American multicultural society. More specifically, the article examines the effect of the infusion of Serbian motives in the works of these composers from the perspective of globalisation and commodification in the formation of their émigré Serbian musical identity.

Serbian Musical Identity in Sacred Music from Stevan Mokranjac to Marko Tajčević

Orthodox church music is as much a part of the quest for Serbian identity as art music. This article seeks to discuss the establishment of this quest in the period between the activity of the first melographers (notably Kornelije Stanković and Stevan Mokranjac) and composers working in the period leading up to the Second World War. Particular attention is paid to the parallels between the gradually developing aims of these composers, built on the collections of chants made (and harmonized) by the melographers, and the movement in architecture known as Serbo-Byzantinism. It examines the technical developments espoused by Serbian composers who went to study in Western countries and endeavoured to find a meeting point between their newly acquired knowledge and their desire to maintain links with, if not necessarily Byzantine culture, then Byzantinism as filtered through Serbian traditions of sacred music.

Immigrant Birds

Immigrant Birds

Dance in the Salons: Waltzes, Polkas and Quadrilles in Serbian Piano Music of the 19th Century

As public events, balls had an important role in social life among the Serbs in the Habsburg monarchy in the 19th century. They were organised by the aristocracy and citizens, various associations and ethnic groups. The most prestigious were the so-called “nobles”, id est aristocratic balls, while the civil ones were less elegant. A repertoire of dances was to some extent conditioned by the type of the ball. Waltz, polka and gallop were very popular at civil balls, as well as stylised Serbian folk dances, such as kolo. At noble balls, on the other hand, besides waltzes, polkas and gallops, it was quadrilles and cotillions that enjoyed special popularity. On the other hand, in the young Principality of Serbia, the organisation of the balls began in the 1860’s, both at the prince’s court and in better hotels in Belgrade. In the 1860’s, the ball season in Belgrade was opened by Prince Mihailo Obrenović. The dancing repertoire included Serbian folk and civil dances, as well as modern European dances. Following the example of larger European cities, a trend of dancing in salons was as well widespread among the Serbs. Socialising could spontaneously grow into dancing, and sometimes dancing was the expected grand finale of the evening. In salons one could dance for family entertainment, without guests. In court and civil salons in Belgrade, the gatherings, almost as a rule, ended with dancing of popular international and Serbian folk dances. International salon dances make up about a third of the salon music repertoire for piano. The polka is one of the most frequent international dancing genres in the Serbian piano music of the 19th century. Besides the polka, there are other subtypes of this dance: the polka-mazurka, the polka française, the schnell polka, the polka tremblante, the galopp polka, the polka valse and the polka caprice. After the polka, the waltz is the most frequent international dance genre in the Serbian piano music. Besides the waltzes originally written for the orchestra, numerous waltzes were composed for the piano. The popularity of quadrilles in ballrooms is also reflected in the albums of salon music for the piano. This dance genre, which was composed in a potpourri manner, was especially suitable for having the melodies of popular folk and civil songs arranged in it. While in the first half of the 19th century melodies in the quadrilles were either transcribed from popular operettas or operas, or were originally written by composers, in the second half of the century composers mostly resorted to melodies of Serbian or Slavic folk and civil songs. In the second half of the 19th century, Serbian folk dances, such as kolos, took over the ballrooms and the albums of salon music alike. The approval of the Serbian identity was sought in the kolo, and the emphasis on national characteristics through music was politically dominant in the 19th century.

Vassilis Petsinis: National Identity in Serbia: The Vojvodina and a Multi-Ethnic Community in the Balkans

Article Vassilis Petsinis: National Identity in Serbia: The Vojvodina and a Multi-Ethnic Community in the Balkans was published on December 1, 2021 in the journal Comparative Southeast European Studies (volume 69, issue 4).

Between global and local: Roma Pentecostal Church identity in Serbia

Joel Robbins (2003) described Pentecostalism as both continuous, taking into account local ontologies, and discontinuous, rupturing against certain social structures or epistemologies. He refers to this as Pentecostalism’s double paradox. In this framework, Pentecostalism is local in that it often addresses the questions and issues emerging from a particular context. However, there is also a global Pentecostal identity which is reinforced through conferences, mission partnerships, shared music, and sermons. Roma Pentecostals in Southeastern Europe are also in the process of negotiating their Pentecostal identity. On the one hand, Pentecostalism is the dominant form of Christianity spreading among the Roma in Serbia because of its flexible ecclesiology, its openness to miraculous signs and wonders, its non-hierarchical structure, and its emotive personality. On the other hand, there is a rising number of mission agencies and Western missionaries working with Roma churches. Roma leaders are often negotiating what to accept and what to reject in terms of Christian theology and praxis, teaching, and programs and activities. Thus, the Pentecostal identity of their churches is being shaped in response to their own local questions and needs but also in response to the partnership from others, both through good experiences and negative ones. This paper will explore this church identity negotiation, looking at two case studies of Roma churches in Serbia. First, this paper will establish the wider conversation in Pentecostal studies regarding the relationship between inculturation and globalization. Next, this paper will analyse some of the factors of the decisionmaking process regarding how Roma leaders decide what to accept and what to reject in terms of outside influences. This analysis will bring to the foreground the operating cultural and religious values and how that contributes to the dialectical process of Pentecostal identity.