@article{
author = "Naumović, Slobodan",
year = "2005",
abstract = "The text offers an examination of socio-political bases, modes of
functioning, and of the consequences of political instrumentalisation of popular narratives
on Serbian disunity. The first section of the paper deals with what is being expressed
and what is being done socially when narratives on Serbian disunity are
invoked in everyday discourses. The next section investigates what political actors
attempt to do by referring in their addresses to popular narratives on Serbian disunity,
by publicly replicating them, or by basing their speeches on key words of those
narratives. The narratives on Serbian disunity are then related to their historical and
social contexts, and to various forms of identity politics with which they share common
traits. The nineteenth century wars over political and cultural identity, intensified
by the struggle between contesting claims to political authority, further
channelled by the development of party politics in Serbia and radicalised by conflicts
of interest and ideology together provided the initial reasons for the apparition of
modern discourses on Serbian disunity and disaccord. Next, addressed are the unintended
consequences of popular and political “disunitology”. Because of unintentionally
solidifying or misinterpreting really existing social problems (in the case of
some popular narratives on disunity), or because of intentionally exploiting popular
perceptions of such problems (in the case of most political meta-narratives), the constructive
potential related to existing social conflicts and splits can be completely
wasted. What results is a deep feeling of frustration, and the diminishing of popular
trust in the political elites and the political process in general. The contemporary hyper-
production of narratives on disunity and disaccord in Serbia seems to be directly
related to the incapacity of the party system, and of the political system in general, to
responsibly address, and eventually resolve historical and contemporary clashes of
interest and identity-splits. If this vicious circle in which the consequences of social
realities are turned into their causes is to be prevented, conflicts of interest must be
discursively disassociated from ideological conflicts, as well as from identity-based
conflicts, and all of them have to be disentangled from popular narratives on splits
and disunity. Most important of all, the practice of political instrumentalisation of
popular narratives on disunity and disaccord has to be gradually abandoned",
publisher = "Beograd : Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju",
journal = "Filozofija i društvo/Philosophy and Society",
title = "The social origins and political uses of popular narratives on serbian disunity",
pages = "65-104",
doi = "10.2298/FID0526065N"
}
