Review of Nationalism, Myth and the State in Russia and Serbia: Antecedents of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.pdf (original) (raw)
AI-generated Abstract
This review examines Veljko Vujačić's book "Nationalism, Myth, and the State in Russia and Serbia: Antecedents of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia," which argues for the influence of national myths and historical legacies on the evolution of nationalism in these regions. It presents a critique of the book's limitations, particularly regarding its coverage of Serbian political representation in Kosovo and its reliance on outdated data. Despite these shortcomings, the book is appreciated for its cogent arguments and innovative contributions to comparative historical studies, particularly its exploration of interpretive factors influencing nationalism and ethnic conflicts.
Related papers
Reviews in History, 2016
The disintegration of communist federations at the end of the Cold War represented the most momentous reconfiguration of the boundaries of Eastern Europe since 1945. Not only did dominant ideologies and power centres that had defined Europe's political, social and economic life implode rather suddenly, but states that had been in existence for most of the 20th century rather unexpectedly disappeared from the map within the span of a few years. In this redrawing of Europe's eastern borders, the Czecho-Slovak 'velvet divorce' and the largely peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union stood in stark contrast to Yugoslavia's violent disintegration, which cost over 130,000 lives and the brutal displacement of at least two million people throughout the region and beyond (Glas inicijative REKOM, January 2013). The contrast between the dissolutions of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union is particularly striking when taking into account the similar position of the two dominant nations, the Serbs and the Russians, a significant proportion of whom were left outside the borders of the new Serbian and Russian states. Whereas in the Serbian case, the 'pre?ani Serbs' outside Serbia contested the new state borders and-aided and abetted by Slobodan Miloševi?'s regime in the Republic of Serbia-launched an armed insurgency, in the Russian case, the approximately 25 million Russians left outside the Russian republic put up no resistance and even embraced their new state entities. While some violence accompanied the disintegration in 1991 of the Soviet Union in the peripheral regions, it was remarkably absent in those areas with the largest ethnic Russian populations (notably Ukraine and
Slobodan Jankovic, Collective Identity and Loyalty to national States
Question of loyalty to national state rises in the context of presence of different cultural -ethnic and religious collective identities in it. We explore how states were formed in the Balkans and why multinational states, former Yugoslavia being the most tragic example, failed to win loyalty of large minorities. Just as in 19 th century Europe, dissolution of regional communist regimes revamped nationalism as a battle for democratic society and ethnic (or religious in Bosnia and Herzegovina) self-determination. Proclaimed democratisation, again or additionally (like in former Yugoslavia) emphasized divisions among collective identities. Civic nationalism although sometimes promoted by political elites was never rooted in the Balkans and different groups (most prominent collective identities are ethnic and religious) tried to homogenize and expand space they control.
ARE IDENTITY CONFLICTS IN MULTI-ETHNIC STATES INEVITABLE? A CASE STUDY OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
The Multi-ethnic State and National Identities: The Serbian Experience in the 20th Century, 2024
In the 20 th century, the Serbian people lived within the framework of Yugoslavia, through different conceptions of the organization of society and the state. That historical framework had a whole series of political and social discontinuities. The influence of ideologies on the creation and development of Serbian national identity in the 20 th century is the most important issue discussed in this article. Also, the search is for an answer to the question of whether the breakup of Yugoslavia was a historical inevitability and why there was a series of violent conflicts that eventually separated once close identities.
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.