Professional paper
The Balkan barbarogenius: The ethnicity problem in analyses of the war led on the territory of the former Yugoslavia
Sara Meszaros
Abstract
Why is the problematisation of ethnicity the foundation for analyses of the war led on the territory of the former Yugoslavia is the basic issue discussed in this text. Special attention is directed at accepting ethnicity, contextualised by geopolitical space, as nonpolitical/
prepolitical and patriarchal category. The argument is that it was the result of the geopolitical contextualization of space, id est of thinking about the territory of the former Yugoslavia as “Balkanic” and “eastern”, that the accompanying geopolitical discourses got
to be employed in analyses of ethnicity. The phenomenon of the reproduction of geopolitical discourses is also considered. Accepting ethnicity as a nonpolitical/prepolitical category finds its manifestation in the rhetoric of anachronism attributed to non-western nationalism. Specifically, these territories are regarded as challenged by their cultural, ethnic, religious and identity heterogeneity. Anachronism is in particular present in the attitude of official anti-nationalism.
Accepting ethnicity as a patriarchal category on the other hand is a part of the rhetoric of masculinity attributed to non-western nationalism. The point is that the patriarchal vistas of the non-western world are being supported by the negation or disregard of the possibilities of diverse ethnic/national/ethno-religious identifications of women that is of their active and aware participation in such societies. The Balkan barabarogenius is an imaginary construct that unites all relevant elements of ethnicity within the oriental or Balkanic discourse and at the same time creates an occidental discourse in which the decadent and identity-less Europe
becomes the rescue mission area
Keywords
anachronism; ethnicity; masculinity; war led on the territory of the former Yugoslavia
Hrčak ID:
3828
URI
Publication date:
15.9.2005.
Visits: 3.619 *