Centenary (Serbia)

All post socialist Western Balkan states are engaged in the process of impression management, through state sponsored projects, whereas most of the work is done in a subtle and less visible and intrusive way, with the intention of imitating spontaneous, natural and authentic processes. The basic argument outlined in this paper is that Serbia has managed its contested past through covering and cultural reframing rather than public acknowledgement. I show here that the state sponsored practices in Serbia are part of impression management strategies which serve multiple functions and meanings: on the one hand they tend to present Serbia as a democratic and progressive state, but on the other hand, they reveal Serbia`s problematic relationships with other nations. Through the content analysis of the highly important official state document "State Program for Commemorating the Anniversary of the Historic Events of the Serbian Liberation Wars", I show that the new Serbian calendar is made both to meet European expectations and further Serbia's interests to join the EU, while also expressing feelings of animosity, injustice and frustration as a means of settling historical accounts. This protocol reveals new re-constructed master commemorative narrative which presents Serbia as nation state with deeply democratic foundations through the eternal struggle for freedom, antifascism and anti-Semitism. I also emphasize here that the creation of the Serbian cosmology of otherness, as portrayed in this newly constructed Serbian calendar, discloses inner tensions and fractures, as well as contentious relationships with "significant Others", in this case of Europe, Croatia and Kosovo Albanians. 1

Südosteuropa. Journal of Politics and Society, 2016

This article analyses how NATO’s bombing of Serbia has been officially commemorated in that country. Initially, it provides an overview of the commemorations performed between 2000 and 2013, covering both the commemorative practices and policies of leading Serbian politicians and alternative voices. The focus then turns to the fifteenth anniversary of the bombing in 2014. Just as in previous commemorations, there was no central ceremony, but, rather, a series of commemorative events held all over the country. The controversies that these aroused are then discussed, in particular those surrounding the commemoration of Radio Television Serbia’s employees and the spontaneous commemorative acts that took place in Serbian schools.

Although chronologically Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 represented the first wars in Europe in 20 th century, actually, they were the last war of previous epoch. As in other conflicts from the 19 th century overall situation became clear in a couple of months after several decisive battles followed by an armistice and subsequent peace agreements between belligerents. Wars that followed, however, proved to be long, exhausting, with enormous causalities and destruction. As for the Balkans, the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 continued to be present in all following conflicts. It seemed that they actually never have been concluded or that they just waited a new opportunity to step out from their own hibernation. In Serbia the general attitude towards their significance and legacy depended on state and ideological context in which Serbia has dwelled meanwhile. Main purpose of this paper is to present history of research and interpretations of Balkan Wars 1912-1913 in Serbia (Yugoslavia) as well to point out some understudied areas, possible new approaches and existing misinterpretations or misuses.

This paper discusses about different events organised in Bosnia and Herzegovina during 2014 concerning the commemoration of the First World War: academic conferences, ‘mega-spectacles’ - A Century of Peace After the Century of Wars, The Rebel Angels, the concert of the Vienna Philharmonic, the role of the the Embassy of France in Sarajevo and a Foundation called “Sarajevo Heart of Europe” and different exhibits in museums in Sarajevo.

Acta historiae medicinae, stomatologiae, pharmaciae, medicinae veterinariae, 2023

In this article, the authors explain, through several selected examples of commemorative practices, how the First World War in Croatia became a "forgotten war" despite the great sacrifices. Such events started being organized in honor of those who died in the First World War and they are still organised. These commemorative practices have not become traditional though.

War & Society

this special issue examines the ways in which contemporary political, diplomatic, social and cultural trends have influenced centennial commemoration of the First World War in europe, russia and the Middle east. the four articles identify and examine a diversity of narratives that have emerged over the centenary period, charting similarities and differences between states, organisations and individuals. While divergent narratives certainly exist within and between states, the greatest differences may be located in attitudes to the use of force and the way in which different cultures interpret the loss of life in war. KEYWORDS First World War, commemoration, centenary narratives Centenaries can be moments of reflection for states and their people. They provide an opportunity to reconsider existing narratives about past events and confirm or repurpose their meaning to inform individual and collective identities as well as important political and social relationships. 1 This special edition has taken 2017 as a moment of reflection, to assess the development of the First World War centennial commemoration in its first three years. It attends to the ways in which contemporary political, diplomatic, social and cultural trends have influenced commemoration and the portrayal of the First World War in Europe, Russia and the Middle East. The inspiration for this collection of articles came from a symposium organised by the First World War Research Group, King's College London. Held in January 2017, its aim was to take stock of the range and depth of developing commemorative activity from national and trans-national perspectives. 2 Australian, Canadian, French, Russian,

2020

Since 2012, when the Serbian Progressive Party came to power, the wars of the 1990s became the focal point of the official memory politics and crucial for the political legitimacy of the SNS government. The populist discourse of the return of the national pride is central to state-sponsored memory work, arguing that the previous governments and international community coerced the Serbian nation to feel ashamed about its heroes and victims of the 1990s wars. The current regime uses the fact that the previous governments did not focus on the 1990s in their memory politics as a demarcation line and source of legitimacy. Because of the SNS and their political allies, the Serbian people are finally allowed and able, as the dominant narrative claims, to remember their heroes and victims with pride. The government builds its political legitimacy on its commitment to the industry of memory, which involves large-scale commemorations, usage of media technologies, cultural production and new ways of disseminating the dominant narratives. This paper analyses the memory politics of the 1990s wars and outlines the problem of historical revisionism in contemporary Serbia from the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević until today. The first section of the paper offers an overview of the memory of the 1990s wars during the first decade after the fall of Milošević. The expectations from the democratic changes quickly turned into disappointment as the new state authorities showed the lack of willingness to confront the questions of guilt and responsibility of Serbia and its forces during the 1990s wars. Various patterns of denial and relativisations are analysed. The central part of the paper focuses on the period since 2012 and populist state-sponsored memory politics. To facilitate a better understanding of the war narratives, commemorative practices and the emergence of the 1990s wars in official memory politics, the paper explains the main characteristics of populist memory politics. The paper proceeds to analyse the interpretation of the 1990s as liberation wars, the national program of commemorations and the industry of memory, focusing mainly on Operation Storm, the Kosovo war and NATO bombing of Yugoslavia as the focal points of official memory politics. The final section concludes with a brief outlook on memory activism and its challenges in facing the industry of memory from above.

From June 30 to July 2, 2016 Vytautas Magnus University hosted in Kaunas, Lithuania, the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) European conference titled «Europe, Nations, and Insecurity: Challenges to Identities». On the second day of the convention, the MIREES Alumni International Association joined forces with the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture in the panel «Do(n’t) YU Remember? Rethinking the Memory of the 20th Century Wars in Former Yugoslavia», chaired by the President of the MAiA Executive Board Adriano Remiddi together with the panelists Jelena Đurejnović, Nikola Baković, Rodoljub Jovanović and with the discussant Dora Komnenović.