engleski

Staying Behind : Civilians in the Post-Yugoslav Wars 1991-95

Researchers engaged in the ethnographic studies of the post-Yugoslav wars have dismissed notions that the fighting ensued primarily because of ethnic hatreds. They have shown that politicians and army leaders certainly attempted to exploit ethnic tensions, through the media and propaganda, yet there was frequently a shared understanding on the part of civilians that they were largely powerless to change the course of events. Ethnographic research also pointed to the experience of direct violence as a basis for ethnic mobilisation. Yet, civilians did not necessarily perceive members of another ethnic group as the ‘ enemy’ : they did not necessarily ‘ hate’ them. This chapter is based on author's fieldwork, and provides examples of violence as a means of destroying social relations of people who had no reason to prioritise ‘ belonging’ to a certain ethnic group in peacetime, as well as of people's resistance to ethnic categorisations.

post-Yugoslav wars, civilians, ethnicity, resistance

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