Srđa Pavlović
Understanding Balkan Nationalism: The wrong people, in the wrong place, at the wrong time

It could be convincingly argued that during the past decade most nations that lived in the former Yugoslavia – Bosnian Muslims and Serbs, Croats and Albanians, and others (to a lesser degree) – as well as the members of the minority groups such as Roma, Goranci, Jews, Ukrainians and others, have shared one common feature: EXODUS.

Volumes of scholarly and journalistic works have been produced in recent years in order to try to explain the reasons behind such a massive demographic change in the Balkans. Regardless of their points of analytical and methodological departure, those authors have reached similar conclusions. The reason (we are told) behind such drastic and forced movements of population were the revival of expansionist nationalism and renewed calls for national homogenization. In other words, it was ghosts from the past that were once again haunting the peoples of the Balkans. Those who died in the conflicts, as well as the refugees and displaced persons, and those rounded up by camp wire were seen to be the product of an ancient conflict – continuous war for territories, identities, and ideologies. 

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Source: https://www.academia.edu/517801/Understanding_Balkan_Nationalism_The_wrong_people_in_the_wrong_place_at_the_wrong_time

Image source: https://nation.com.pk/print_images/large/2013-09-07/bosnia-mass-grave-with-dozens-of-victims-uncovered

It could be convincingly argued that during the past decade most nations that lived in the former Yugoslavia – Bosnian Muslims and Serbs, Croats and Albanians, and others (to a lesser degree) – as well as the members of the minority groups such as Roma, Goranci, Jews, Ukrainians and others, have shared one common feature: EXODUS.

Volumes of scholarly and journalistic works have been produced in recent years in order to try to explain the reasons behind such a massive demographic change in the Balkans. Regardless of their points of analytical and methodological departure, those authors have reached
similar conclusions. The reason (we are told) behind such drastic and forced movements of population were the revival of expansionist nationalism and renewed calls for national homogenization. In other words, it was ghosts from the past that were once again haunting the
peoples of the Balkans. Those who died in the conflicts, as well as the refugees and displaced persons, and those rounded up by camp wire were seen to be the product of an ancient conflict – continuous war for territories, identities, and ideologies. 

Full PDF

 

Source: https://www.academia.edu/517801/Understanding_Balkan_Nationalism_The_wrong_people_in_the_wrong_place_at_the_wrong_time

Image source: https://nation.com.pk/print_images/large/2013-09-07/bosnia-mass-grave-with-dozens-of-victims-uncovered