Challenges of Civil Identity Construction in Montenegro: Post-referendum Polarisation and Debates between Political Parties Cover Image

Izazovi izgradnje građanskog identiteta u Crnoj Gori: postreferendumske podjele i sporovi političkih partija
Challenges of Civil Identity Construction in Montenegro: Post-referendum Polarisation and Debates between Political Parties

Author(s): Mehmed Đečević, Danijela Vuković-Ćalasan
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Institut za migracije i narodnosti
Keywords: civic identity; Montenegro; political parties; political identity

Summary/Abstract: Post-communist transition societies are facing a need to create new political identities in the process of state and nation building in complex internal circumstances. Since the process of creating political identity of national-state society is one of the most significant for its survival and functioning, it raises the question: what is the nature of real political identity of the post-referendum Montenegro, especially the one grounded in the social/national dichotomy. One of the definitions of civil political identity emphasizes the constitutional Montenegro as the civil state. At the same time, respecting the great importance of political parties in the process of creation of Montenegro as a civil and national society, different positions which these parties expressed in the mentioned process have been observed. Identity positions of parties are presented in relation to two axes of the problem: the constitutional-legal and on identity in the narrower sense. It is pointed out that in relation to identity issues in the post-referendum period, political parties have been grouped almost identically as they were grouped in relation to the state-legal status in pre-referendum period. The authors concluded that there is a block division of identity questions in Montenegro as well as little chance for identity debates to be resolved by consensus in the near future.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 7-37
  • Page Count: 31