Serbian Dreambook: National Imaginary in the Time of Milošević

The central role that the regime of Slobodan Milošević played in the bloody dissolution of Yugoslavia is well known, but Marko Živković explores another side of this time period: the stories people in Serbia were telling themselves (and others) about themselves. Živković traces the recurring themes, scripts, and narratives that permeated public discourse in Milošević’s Serbia, as Serbs described themselves as Gypsies or Jews, violent highlanders or peaceful lowlanders, and invoked their own mythologized defeat at the Battle of Kosovo. The author investigates national narratives, the use of tradition for political purposes, and local idioms, paying special attention to the often bizarre and outlandish tropes people employed to make sense of their social reality. He suggests that the enchantments of political life under Milošević may be fruitfully seen as a dreambook of Serbian national imaginary. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I 2 Introduction / 2 Belgrade / 2 Serbia's Position in European Geopolitical Imaginings / 2 Highlanders and Lowlanders / 2 Tender-hearted Criminals and the Reverse Pygmalion / 2 Serbian Jeremiads: Too Much Character, Too Little Kultur / 2 Glorious Pasts and Imagined Continuities: The Most Ancient People / 2 Narrative Cycles: From Kosovo to Jadovno / 2 "The Wish to Be a Jew'; or, The Power of the Jewish Trope/ 2 Garbled Genres: Conspiracy Theories, Everyday Life, and the Poetics of Opacity / 2 Mille vs. Transition: A Super Informant in the Slushy Swamp of Serbian Politics / 2 Conclusion: Chrono-tropes and Awakenings 1249 2 NOTES / 2 BIBLIOGRAPHY / 2 FILMOGRAPHY / 2 INDEX / 2 The central role that the regime of Slobodan Milo?evia? played in the bloody dissolution of Yugoslavia is well known, but Marko ?ivkovia? explores another side of this time period: the stories people in Serbia were telling themselves (and others) about themselves. ?ivkovia? traces the recurring themes, scripts, and narratives that permeated public discourse in Milo?evia?'s Serbia, as Serbs described themselves as Gypsies or Jews, violent highlanders or peaceful lowlanders, and invoked their own mythologized defeat at the Battle of Kosovo. The author investigates national narratives, the use of tradition for political purposes, and local idioms, paying special attention to the often bizarre and outlandish tropes people employed to make sense of their social reality. He suggests that the enchantments of political life under Milo?evia? may be fruitfully seen as a dreambook of Serbian national imaginary. Belgrade -- Serbia's Position In European Geopolitical Imaginings -- Highlanders And Lowlanders -- Tender-hearted Criminals And The Reverse Pygmalion -- Serbian Jeremiads : Too Much Character, Too Little Kultur -- Glorious Pasts And Imagined Continuities : The Most Ancient People -- Narrative Cycles : From Kosovo To Jadovno -- The Wish To Be A Jew, Or, The Power Of The Jewish Trope -- Garbled Genres : Conspiracy Theories, Everyday Life, And The Poetics Of Opacity -- Mille Vs. Transition : A Super Informant In The Slushy Swamp Of Serbian Politics -- Conclusion: Chrono-tropes And Awakenings -- Filmography. Marko Živković. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The central role that the regime of Slobodan Milo?evic played in the bloody dissolution of Yugoslavia is well known, but Marko?ivkovic explores another side of this time period: the stories people in Serbia were telling themselves (and others) about themselves.?ivkovic traces the recurring themes, scripts, and narratives that permeated public discourse in Milo?evic's Serbia, as Serbs described themselves as Gypsies or Jews, violent highlanders or peaceful lowlanders, and invoked their own mythologized d Public discourse and everyday life during the last days of Yugoslavia