1st Edition

Feminist Activism at War Belgrade and Zagreb Feminists in the 1990s

By Ana Miškovska Kajevska Copyright 2017
196 Pages
by Routledge

196 Pages
by Routledge

196 Pages
by Routledge

This book describes, compares, explains, and contextualises the positionings, i.e. discourses and activities, which feminists in Belgrade, Serbia and Zagreb, Croatia produced in relation to the (post-)Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. Two types of positionings are analysed: those which the feminists have produced on the (sexual) war violence and those which they have produced on each other. Applying... Read more

Acknowledgements

Chapter One: Feminism at War: An Introduction

Chapter Two: Portrayals of Feminist NGOs

Chapter Three: A Time to Examine the Common Scholarly Narrative

Chapter Four: Positioning as a Process: Nine Episodes of Interaction

Chapter Five: Revisiting the 1990s: A View from a Distance?

Chapter Six: A Critical Novel Look at the Old Dynamics and Knowledge

Index

Biography

Ana Miškovska Kajevska is a researcher, peaceworker, and activist affiliated with the Department of Political Science of the University of Amsterdam.

'It will be difficult to overstate the relevance of this book beyond its apparent narrow regional focus – capitals of the two former Yugoslav republics. As the second decade of the 21st century ebbs towards its end, the populism, nationalism, racism and misogyny that marked the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia are back with a vengeance on a global scale. It appears easy to unite as feminists – nationally and internationally – against the most visible and most infamous populist icons. But, it is the nitty-gritty of daily work against the ‘us-and-them’ politics where the conflicting positioning, contesting interpretations, and labelling and silencing occur. We would be wise to learn – in this book - how this happens, if not how to prevent it from happening.' - Dr. Dubravka Zarkov, International Institute of Social Studies

'Miškovska Kajevska’s book challenges simplistic dichotomies that come with nationalism and war. Her incisive analysis dissects divisions that cut across and within Croatian and Serbian feminist groups in the 1990s. It offers a novel perspective on the feminist response to conflict, by conducting a rigorous comparison and marshalling persuasive evidence, and provides a lucid account of fragmentation and restructuring of civil society in the context of nationalism and war. It will be of great value to scholars of nationalism, democratisation and ethnic politics.' - Dr. Denisa Kostovicova, Associate Professor in Global Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science

 

The book’s sober and critical approach
towards the pre-existing literature and
the collected empirical data highlights the
importance of self-scrutiny and reflexivity
when dealing with processes of naming and
labelling, which are always relational and
have the power to shape reality in times of
political polarisation. Feminist Activism at
War is an extremely useful compendium,
not only for those readers interested in
post-Yugoslav gender and feminist history,
but also for those striving to understand
the complexity of political identification in
conflict and postconflict settings.

Bonfiglioli Chiara, Südosteuropa. Journal of Politics and Society