Papers by Danijela Majstorovic
Journal of Borderlands Studies, Dec 15, 2022
Critical Studies on Security
Discourse and Affect in Postsocialist Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2021
Discourse and Affect in Postsocialist Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2021
Discourse and Affect in Postsocialist Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2021
Discourse and Affect in Postsocialist Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2021
Discourse and Affect in Postsocialist Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2021
Discourse and Affect in Postsocialist Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2021
Discourse and Affect in Postsocialist Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2021
Political Discourse in Central, Eastern and Balkan Europe, 2019
Youth Ethnic and National Identity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2013
In the omnipresent ‘anarchy of definitions’, whether we choose to follow in the footsteps of prim... more In the omnipresent ‘anarchy of definitions’, whether we choose to follow in the footsteps of primordialists, perennialists or modernists (constructivists), we inevitably position ourselves in relation to whether we think ethnic groups or nations are constructed categories, which can be further deconstructed and re-constructed, or whether we believe there is some historical memory which ethnic groups claim the right to and which is transmitted through tradition, education, language and history, as ‘realities that last’. Regardless of which theory we opt for, perhaps a more important issue is which narratives — both those homogenizing and seamless and those ‘bursting at the seams’ construct ethnic and national identity here and now. In what way do the television and newspapers still, as the most dominant representatives of the public domain in B&H, transfer and construct narratives, and into which subjects do they interpellate us? What are the ruling ideas of the ethno-political ruling elites or the ‘ethnic entrepreneurs’, as Brubaker labels them, and how is the simultaneous coexistence of the ethnic and national frames possible within the public domain?
Youth Ethnic and National Identity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2013
The story of the recent socio-historical context of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) (and the ent... more The story of the recent socio-historical context of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) (and the entire region, for that matter) begins with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the entire Eastern Bloc, and the segregation of Yugoslavia into its constitutive parts — federal republics. While 1992 is the year when national frontiers in united Europe ceased to exist, paving the way for the free movement of people, goods and capital, and when Europe seemingly transcended nationhood and nationalism (Brubaker, 2009), in that same year B&H became an independent state for the first time in modern history. Shortly afterwards, following the outbreak of conflict in Croatia, one of the bloodiest conflicts in post-World War II Europe permanently marked the country with uncertainty, impoverishment and fear. The war ended in 1995 with the so-called Dayton Peace Agreement, after which B&H became defined as a tri-nation state.1 The war had dire and long-term consequences for the society of B&H. Before the war it had a population of about 4.4 million. The largest percentage of the population consisted of the members of the three dominant constituent peoples: Bosniaks (called Muslims at the time, about 44%), Serbs (about 31%) and Croats (about 17%). In addition to the dominant peoples, there existed about 6% of Yugoslavs and about 2% who were considered others. Since a census has not been taken since 1991, the current population size can only be estimated.
Youth Ethnic and National Identity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2013
Before we recapitulate the results, let us go back for a moment to our initial motivation. Living... more Before we recapitulate the results, let us go back for a moment to our initial motivation. Living in BH for instance, when you watch the central news on local TV stations or read the press, you instantly notice the main theme: ethnicity-based politics. Also, we have been so inculcated with the daily dosage of this theme that we do not even notice everyday displays of ethnic-nationalism, such as flags, churches, mosques, language and even colors, that are used to mark boundaries of the territories or social identifications. Attitudes towards political issues quickly disclose one’s ethnic background in daily conversation (Billig, 1995) but we are not alone in this; there are other societies which experience similar problems to ours. As people living in such a society, we have been inspired by the intricate workings of ethnic nationalism in everyday political affairs, and, at family dinners and on outings with friends, we have had endless discussions about ethnicity and interpersonal relations shaped by the ethnic and the political. B&H, which was once known as a multi-cultural oasis, in the past 20 years has become a place permanently haunted by the specter of Yugoslavia, multi-ethnicity and socialist memories, when ‘we all lived peacefully together,’ juxtaposed against the brutality of the 1990s war and its consequences.
Youth Ethnic and National Identity in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The attitudes towards B&H abound with conflicting elements of what ‘our country’ is and what ... more The attitudes towards B&H abound with conflicting elements of what ‘our country’ is and what it should be. It could be said that such attitudes and discourses cannot be any different, given the rather unusual constitutional frame of the contemporary, post-Dayton B&H, as a state established on a peace agreement, not the wishes of all of its citizens. Furthermore, it is a state which was created violently, through ethnic cleansing and a series of attacks. Eighteen years after the Dayton Agreement the future of B&H and its preservation remain uncertain, which creates a need for the analysis of the attitudes of youth in relation to their current perspectives, representations and justification related to the ethnic, that is, national, identity, and the implications of such identifications in terms of ideologies.
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2013
Defining identity in itself represents a challenge. Identities are changeable, social identities ... more Defining identity in itself represents a challenge. Identities are changeable, social identities even more so, and observers can be easily misled into thinking they have understood them completely. Therefore, research on social identities confronts researchers with particular theoretical and methodological difficulties. The study before you is largely based on the results of an empirical study combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. The so-called triangulation method or the combined methods technique, a form of data cross-verification, was developed in social sciences primarily due to the need to increase the validity of the research in the rather diverse fields of social sciences and the humanities. Empiricism, realism and constructionism have competed for long as dominant epistemologi-cal presumptions have existed in studies on the individual and society. While data quantification paradigms dominated psychology and sociology for a long time, anthropology, ethnology, Journalism and linguistics have been dominated by qualitative approaches; however, all failed to provide a satisfying explanation for complex psychological, behavioral and social phenomena. Therefore, Cohen et al. (2000: 112) define triangulation as an ‘attempt to map out, or explain more fully, the richness and complexity of human behavior by studying it from more than one standpoint’. In addition to entailing different research methods, triangulation also includes various theories which facilitate the interpretation of the data collected in different pieces of research applying diverse techniques.
Socio-psychological relations between social groups and among group members represent an importan... more Socio-psychological relations between social groups and among group members represent an important part of the psychological study of people worldwide. Ethnic attitudes, distances, prejudice and cooperation are some of the aspects of such relations, particularly interesting in B&H due to its specific social situation, burdened by the recent war, and everyday life, shaped by the ethnic borders. Social-psychological study of intergroup relations entails the study of social perception, feelings and behavior towards members of other groups, in relation to a relevant criterion which serves as a basis for group categorization. One should bear in mind that the study of intergroup relations also includes the study of interpersonal relations within a certain group, due to the very nature of the group, that is, ethnic categorizations which occur in a specific social context and exist in relation to other groups. Processes such as behavior, perception and feelings related to experiences within a group are largely studied within the field of social identity. Social identity processes are inextricably linked to intergroup relations, and the influence is mutual. A textbook definition of intergroup relations is found in Sherif (1962: 5), who claims that intergroup relations ‘refer to two or more groups and their respective members. Whenever individuals belonging to a group interact, collectively or individually, with another group or its members in terms of their group identification we have an instance of intergroup behavior.’
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2013
The study of social groups in psychology entails the study of a particular sense of belonging to ... more The study of social groups in psychology entails the study of a particular sense of belonging to one of the groups in a dimension that can range from the smallest group, such as family, to local communities, such as village, city, region, ethnic group, class or state, to global supranational communities, such as Europe, religious group or humanity in general. Of course, there are a number of other forms of belonging; that is, there are as many as there are segments within the structure of the self and a society.
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Papers by Danijela Majstorovic