Theoretical Challenges of Transitional Reconstruction of National Identities — the case of Vojvodina Cover Image

Teorijski izazovi tranzicione rekonstrukcije nacionalnog identiteta — slučaj Vojvodine
Theoretical Challenges of Transitional Reconstruction of National Identities — the case of Vojvodina

Author(s): Jovan Komšić
Subject(s): Government/Political systems, Politics and society, Nationalism Studies, Sociology of Politics, Politics and Identity, Identity of Collectives
Published by: Srpsko narodno vijeće, Arhiv Srba u Hrvatskoj
Keywords: post-socialism; Serbia; ethno-nationalism; authoritarian culture; oligarchy; Vojvodina; multiethnicity; citizenship; hybridization of identity; decentralization;

Summary/Abstract: Taking as a starting point Hobsbaum's estimate of long-time perspective of xenophobic nationalism in post-socialist regimes of the Central and Eastern Europe, as well as similar views of the Serbian director and writer Živojin Pavlović on the mentality “reverting (the community)… centuries back to a primal state of absolute amorphousness”, the author analyses the challenges of post-communist identity policies in Vojvodina and Serbia through the following thematic segments: 1) “Revival” plots and “creativity” of the oligarchic usurpation of civic sovereignty; 2) Policy of identity and European perspective of multiculturality in Vojvodina; 3) A paradox of pluralism: opening a competition stage – closing-up in ethno-national communities; 4) Chances of a liberal alternative to the official paradigm of a “single political ethnicity”. The conclusion is that decentralization is not a “disposed of” alternative, i. e that a local and regional framework community governance has not lost all chances of believing in virtues and capacities of citizenship, power of a common sense and a free choice of a plan and meaning of life instead of authoritarian-centrist delusion of a “predestined identity”.

  • Issue Year: 5/2022
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 122-151
  • Page Count: 30
  • Language: Croatian