In the Shadow of the Serbian Paramilitary Units: Narrative Patterns about the Role of Paramilitary Units in Former Yugoslav Conflict
Author(s)
Maria Vivod
ABSTRACT
This article1 offers several basic
data about Serbian paramilitary units employed in the armed conflict of the
1990’s during the decomposition of the former Yugoslavia, with the goal to
depict the transformation of the representation of the paramilitary unit
members and their leaders essentially through Serbian media. Once, at the
beginning of the conflicts, represented as the “saviors”, “protectors” of the Serbian nation, ever present as main figures
of the public life of the 90’s—they
have fallen into oblivion after a decade. Their most notorious leaders are
either dead or in prison. After the fall of the Milo?evi? regime (2000) their
involvement in war crimes, looting and genocide reached Serbia. From being
divinized gradually they become diabolized. The contemporary events and
happenings in Serbia are explained in the light of the past of these
paramilitary units.
Cite this paper
Vivod, M. (2013). In the Shadow of the Serbian Paramilitary Units: Narrative Patterns about the Role of Paramilitary Units in Former Yugoslav Conflict. Advances in Anthropology, 3, 23-32. doi: 10.4236/aa.2013.31004.
Vivod, M. (2013). In the Shadow of the Serbian Paramilitary Units: Narrative Patterns about the Role of Paramilitary Units in Former Yugoslav Conflict. Advances in Anthropology, 3, 23-32. doi: 10.4236/aa.2013.31004.
References
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[1] Alvarez, A. (2006). Militias and genocide. War Crimes, Genocide, & Crimes against Humanity, 2, 1-33. [2] Andreas, P. (2004). The clandestine political economy of war and peace in Bosnia. International Studies Quarterly, 48, 29-51. doi:10.1111/j.0020-8833.2004.00290.x [3] Banac, I. (2009). What happened in the Balkans (or Rather ex-Yugoslavia)? East European Politics and Societies, 23, 461-478. doi:10.1177/0888325409346821 [4] Biserko, S. (1999). Serbia: Dictatorship, implosion or recovery. Security Dialogue, 30, 289-290. doi:10.1177/0967010699030003006 [5] Belousov et al. (2007). Any port in a storm: Fieldwork difficulties in dangerous and crisis-ridden settings. Qualitative Research, 7, 155175. doi:10.1177/1468794107076019 [6] Bougarel, X. (1999). The “revenge of the countryside” between sociological reality and nationalist myth. East European Quaterly, 33, 157-175. [7] ?olovi?, I. (2000a). Bordel ratnika. Beograd: Biblioteka XX vek. [8] ?olovi?, I. (2000a). Politika simbola. Beograd: Biblioteka XX vek. [9] Delpla, I. (2007). Faits, responsabilités, intelligibilité: Comparer les enquêtes et les rapports sur Srebrenica. Cultures & Conflits, 65. http://www.conflits.org/index2221.html [10] Fleming, K. E. (2000). Review essays—Orientalism, the Balkans and Balkan historiography. American Historical Review, 105, 1218-1233. doi:10.2307/2651410 [11] Gill, H. E. (2004) Finding a middle ground between extremes: Notes on researching transnational crime and violence. Anthropology Matters Journal, 6, 2. http://www.anthropologymatters.com/journal/2004-2/gill_2004_finding.htm [12] Glaurdic, J. (2009). Inside the Serbian War machine. The Milo?evic telephone intercepts, 1991-1992. East European Politics and Societies, 23, 86-104. doi:10.1177/0888325408326788 [13] Duffy, G., & Lindstrom, N. (2002). Conflicting identities: Solidary incentives in the Serbo-Croatian War. Journal of Peace Research, 39, 69-90. doi:10.1177/0022343302039001004 [14] Gordy, E. D. (1999). The culture of power in Serbia. Nationalism and the destruction of alternatives, University Park, PA: Pen State Press. [15] Hagan, J. K., & Ivkovic, S. (2006). War crimes, democracy, and the rule of law in Belgrade, the former Yugoslavia, and beyond. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 605, 129-151. doi:10.1177/0002716206287088 [16] Hartmann, F. (2002). Milo?evi?, la diagonale du fou. Paris: Gallimard. [17] Hoare, M. A. (2006). Slobodan Milo?evi?’s place in Serbian history. European History Quarterly, 36, 445-462. doi:10.1177/0265691406065446 [18] Hudson, R. (2003). Songs of Seduction: Popular music and Serbian nationalism patterns of prejudice. Routledge, 37, 157-177. [19] Jansen, S. (2000). Victims, underdogs and rebels-discursive practices of resistance in Serbian protest. Critique of Anthropology, 20, 393-419. doi:10.1177/0308275X0002000401 [20] Judah, T. (1997). The Serbs: History, myth and the destruction of Yugoslavia. New Haven: Yale University Press. [21] Klain, E. (1993). Destruction and reparation in groups during the war in Croatia. Group Analysis, 26, 109-118. doi:10.1177/0533316493261011 [22] Kovats-Bernat, C. J. (2002). Negotiating dangerous fields: Pragmatic strategies for fieldwork amid violence and terror. American Anthropologist, 104, 1-15. doi:10.1525/aa.2002.104.1.208 [23] Mac Ginty, R. (2001). Ethno-national conflict and hate crime. American Behavioral Scientist, 45, 639-653. doi:10.1177/00027640121957402 [24] Mylonas, C. (2003). Serbian orthodox fundamentals: The quest for an eternal identity. Budapest: Central European University Press. [25] Nikoli?-Ristanovi?, V. (1998). War and crime in the former Yugoslavia. In V. Ruggiero, N. South, & I. Taylor (Eds.), New European criminology (pp. 462-480). London: Routledge. [26] Picard, M., & Zinbo, A. (2007). Sur le rapport du gouvernement de la Republika Srpska. Cultures & Conflits, 65. http://www.conflits.org/index2242.html [27] Pavi?evi?, O., & Simeunovi?-Pati?, B. (2007). Social context and the rise of antiheroes. Facta Universitatis. Philosophy, Sociology and Psychology, 6, 53-66. [28] Van de Port, M. (1998). Gypsies, wars and other instances of the wild: Civilization and its discontents in a Serbian town. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. [29] Van de Port, M. (1999). “It takes a Serb to know a Serb”—Uncovering the roots of obstinate otherness in Serbia. Critique of Anthropology, 19, 7-30. doi:10.1177/0308275X9901900104 [30] Sandic, M., & Sandic, A. (2006). The archetypes echoed in the collective unconscious of the people. Group Analysis, 39, 411-420. doi:10.1177/0533316406066608 [31] Scheper-Hughes, N. (2004). Parts unknown: Undercover ethnography of the organ-trafficking underworld. Ethnography, 5, 29-73. doi:10.1177/1466138104041588 [32] Staub, E. (1999). The roots of evil: Social conditions, culture, personality, and basic human needs. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3, 179-192. doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0303_2 [33] Beograd: Fond za Humanitarno Pravo (2007) ?korpioni-od zlo?ina do pravde. Beograd: Edicija: Dokumenta. Publikum. [34] Flottau, R. (1992). We are going to chop their heads off. Interview with Sini?a Vu?ini?. http://www.pescanik.net/content/view/3803/65/ [35] Virchow, F. (2007). Militia movements. Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice. http://sage-ereference.com/activism/Article_n560.html [36] Vivod, M. (2009). Living with dead bodies in your closet—Serbian ex-paramilitary reflections. Anthropology News, 50, 13. doi:10.1111/j.1556-3502.2009.50513.x [37] Vivod, M. (2010). The story about old hag Europe and healthy maiden Serbia. In J. Fikfak, & M. Vivod (Eds.), “West” and “East”: Dreaming, writing, imagining, and practicing Europe. Ljubljana: TraditionesIn?titut za slovensko narodopisje. [38] Vol?i?, Z. (2005). The notion of the “West” in the Serbian national imaginary. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 8, 155-175. doi:10.1177/1367549405051842 [39] ?ani?, I. (2007). Flag on the mountain: A political anthropology of war in Croatia and Bosnia (566 p.). London: Saqi Books.