Lesbian Activism in the (Post- )Yugoslav Space : Sisterhood and Unity

This book intertwines academic and activist voices to engage with more than three decades of lesbian activism in the Yugoslav space. The empirically rich contributions uncover a range of lesbian initiatives and the fundamental, but rarely acknowledged, role that lesbian alliances have played in articulating a feminist response to the upsurge of nationalism, widespread violence against women, and high levels of lesbophobia and homophobia in all of the post-Yugoslav states. By offering a distinctly intergenerational and transnational perspective, this collection does not only shed new light on a severely marginalised group of people, but constitutes a pioneering effort in accounting for the intricacies – solidarities, joys, and tensions – of lesbian activist organising in a post-conflict and post-socialist environment. With a plethora of authorial standpoints and innovative methodological approaches, the volume challenges the systematic absence of (post-)Yugoslav lesbian activist enterprises from recent social science scholarship. __Lesbian Activism in the (Post-)Yugoslav Space__ will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including gender studies, history, politics, anthropology, and sociology. This book intertwines academic and activist voices to engage with more than three decades of lesbian activism in the Yugoslav space. The empirically rich contributions uncover a range of lesbian initiatives and the fundamental, but rarely acknowledged, role that lesbian alliances have played in articulating a feminist response to the upsurge of nationalism, widespread violence against women, and high levels of lesbophobia and homophobia in all of the post-Yugoslav states. By offering a distinctly intergenerational and transnational perspective, this collection does not only shed new light on a severely marginalised group of people, but constitutes a pioneering effort in accounting for the intricacies - solidarities, joys, and tensions - of lesbian activist organising in a post-conflict and post-socialist environment. With a plethora of authorial standpoints and innovative methodological approaches, the volume challenges the systematic absence of (post- )Yugoslav lesbian activist enterprises from recent social science scholarship. Lesbian Activism in the (Post- )Yugoslav Space will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including gender studies, history, politics, anthropology, and sociology.-- Provided by publisher Front Matter ....Pages i-x Introduction: Recovering/Rethinking (Post-)Yugoslav Lesbian Activisms (Bojan Bilić)....Pages 1-26 Yearning for Space, Pleasure, and Knowledge: Autonomous Lesbian and Queer Feminist Organising in Ljubljana (Teja Oblak, Maja Pan)....Pages 27-59 Cartographies of Fear and Freedom: Lesbian Activists in the First Belgrade and Zagreb Pride Parades (Sanja Kajinić)....Pages 61-85 Sisterhood Beyond Borders: Transnational Aspects of Post-Yugoslav Lesbian Activism (Irene Dioli)....Pages 87-108 Breaking the Silence: Lesbian Activism in Macedonia (Irena Cvetkovic)....Pages 109-131 Searching for a Lesbian Voice: Non-Heterosexual Women’s Activism in Montenegro (Marina Vuković, Paula Petričević)....Pages 133-162 (In)Visible Presences: PitchWise Festival as a Space of Lesbian Belonging in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Adelita Selmić, Bojan Bilić)....Pages 163-188 Conclusion: Discovering the Lesbian in Us—On Our Ongoing, Never-Ending Struggles (Marija Radoman)....Pages 189-213 Epilogue: Collecting Fragments—Towards (Post-)Yugoslav Activist Archives (Bojan Bilić)....Pages 215-233 Back Matter ....Pages 235-239 Edited By Bojan Bilic, Marija Radoman, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.