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“Creatures” o f substance or mere stereotypes?

The characterisable and emergent core, from the preceding analysis, a ttrib u te s to hom o-fem ina Serbicus, pervasive o r recu rre nt precepts o f personhood, upon w hich the experience o f collective belonging is substantiated. These evaluative perceptions and social interactions are found to a variable degree and scope in each in d iv id u a l member o f the Serbian society. In other words, gradations exist w ith regard to the personal disposition to heroism, interpretations o f honour, confessional adherence and social proclivities. These gradations also permeate the Serb language, whereby the term Srbijanac connotes to the inh a bita nt o f Serbia proper, and the verb srbovati, means to live and behave like a Serb^^^ Yet, in th e ir d iffe re n t and variable form s,

*" These Serbian terms are elucidated by Benson, Morton, Serbo-croatian-

these characteristics do not am ount to a metoposcopist^^^ appraisal o f hom o-fem ina Serbicus, but rath er constitute an aggregate ground, w hich supports the processes o f morphogenesiSy morphostasis and morphopoiisi in the Serbian enclave.

O f course, the general character o f these principles and social interactions obscures the in d ivid u a l developm ental cycle and may be susceptible to stereotypical appraisals o f hom o-fem ina Serbicus. The concept stereotypical “ is based n ot on ca re fu lly collected data b u t on hearsay, on anecdotes, on p a rtia l and incom plete experience... th a t does not mean that... is always and necessarily false, b u t it does mean th a t it is taken on fa ith ra th e r than founded on dem onstrated fact^^^” . As possessors o f a -p re vio usly deflned- Balkan m en ta lity the Serbian peoples are the assumed agents o f the negative connotations conferred upon the residence, o f th is geographic re g io n ^ T h e s e connotations and, in p a rticula r, th e ir

The adjective metoposcopist pertains to the “art” of “reading” a person’s

character or luck (metoscopy), on the basis o f the anatomic features found on the forehead.

This definition of stereotypes is quoted by Klineberg, Otto, The human

dimension in international relations, (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964), p. 34.

On the subject of negative human attributes (irregularity, disorder, violent passions) of the Balkan region, see Kitromilides, P. M., "’Balkan m entahty’: history,

legend, imagination," p. 163; and also, Todorova, M aria, Imagining the Balkans,

v io le n t and aggressive content, were p rom in en t in the wars th a t destroyed Yugoslavia -a ttrib u te d to 'the c u lt o f w arriors and m ilita ry leaders' o r the awareness o f 'low er levels o f c iv ilis a t io n . A t the same tim e, in the perceived scope o f th e ir national destiny, homo and fem ina Serbicus in va ria b ly adhere to views o f victim isation, o f externally orchestrated conspiracies and genocidal policies^

The m e rit and tru th o f these a ttrib u te s pertain, p a rtly, to the circum stances th a t canvass th e ir inception and a rtic u la tio n ^ T h e ir in e v ita b ility , though, on the grounds th a t they "have the fu n ctio n o f rendering o u r w orld m ore tractable, m ore manageable,” ^ c o u ld be solely defended, in conjunction w ith notions o f the collective -as the referent o f cognition and observation, encompassing the in d iv id u a l

The aforementioned views of the Serbian people belong to E. Klein, author of

the article, “Yugoslavia as a group” in Croatian Medical Joumaly (33:3, 1992), pp.

3-13. These excerpts are cited by Kecmanovic Dusan, “Psychiatrists in times o f

ethnonationalism ” in Australian and New Zealand Journal o f Psychiatryy Volume

33, Num ber 3, (1 9 99 ), p. 310.

See Ivekovic, Ivan, “Ethnic conflict and ethnocracy in the Balkans and

Caucasus: A comparison,” unpublished paper presented at the 6^^ ICCEES (International Council for Central and East European Studies), 20 July-3 August 2000, Tampere, Finland, pp. 12-8.

See Duijker H.C.J. and Frijda N.H., National character and national stereotypes:

A trend report prepared fo r the International Union o f Scientitic Psychology^ (Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company, 1960), p. 117.

agent. In othe r words, the use o f stereotypes is induced by the characterisation o f the ind ivid u a l, in re la tio n to localities, societies o r states. Yet, such stereotypical generalisations, w hile th e o re tica lly enhancing the in te rn a l v is ib ility o f com m unities they also abase th e ir human content to prescribed psychological and behavioural notions. Are we then to assume th a t a ll Serbian men aspire to a “w a rrio r c u lt” and are w illin g participants in m ilita ry campaigns"^? S im ila rly are Serbian women pacifists and im m une to n atio n a list proclivities^

To th a t end, concrete perceptions are also found w ith in the Serb society, when juxtaposed to external groups, b u t also on issues, pertaining to the collective expectations, placed on each in d ivid u a l. These notions are stereotypical when th e ir a pplication focuses, upon the outw ard v is ib ility o f personhood and a society. C orrespondingly, honour, heroism , the fa m ily o r O rthodoxy are hypostases o f Serbian

On the basis of personal observation and experience (during 1990-92, in the form er Yugoslavia) a considerable number of Serbian conscripts refused to fu lfil their m ihtary duties and either went into hiding or fled their country. Their actions do not deprive these individuals of the "possession” of evaluative notions of honour, Orthodoxy, the respect fo r the fam ily unit, or even heroism. Instead, through the negation of m ihtary duties, these individuals m anifest the personal and variable experience of these notions as substances of personhood and not mere stereotypes.

The answer to this question would of course be a negative one. This m atter is b riefly aUuded to by Braceweh, Wendy, in her article, "Rape in Kosovo:

m asculinity and Serbian nationahsm” in Nations and Nationalism, Volume 6,

selfhood th a t evolve, in the dialectical scope o f in d iv id u a l existence and societal placement. These evaluative principles, are n o t illu s o ry correlations and stereotypes o f Serbianhood. They are the in terna l, referents o f homo and fem ina Serbicus, whose cum ulated substance, is abased to stereotypical generalisations, under conditions o f actual o r perceived crisis th a t fuse the personal existence in to the national project.

Conclusion

In tune w ith the preceding analysis, the essence o f homo and fem ina Serbicus is deciphered in to the hypostases of, an O rthodox-induced m oral cosmology and te rrito ria l-h is to ric a l perceptions, o rig in a tin g in the m edieval past. Upon these references evaluative principles are constructed, w hich are internalised in hom o-fem ina Serbicus, w ith in the scope o f th e ir collective e ntity.

These notions include an agapeistic content, honour, heroism and circu m sta n tia lly invoked altruism , sacrifice and freedom -in the experience o f independence. The im pact o f these diachronic ideals, is concretised in the Serbian fam ily, a close patriarchal in s titu tio n , w hich socially conditioned and conditions the Serbian being, in the

broader Balkan context.

The emergent characterisation, is one o f a coherent, h istorical and c u ltu ra l lineage th at reproduces notions o f Serbian personhood and o f national membership. The externalised m anifestation o f these perceptions -in the pursuance o f profane, p o litica l, salvation- is the

The pursuit of secular salvation

TJiie... influence of O rth o d o x in the Serbian political .. culture

Synopsis: The present chapter focuses upon Orthodoxy’s Impact on the Serbian political culture^. The juxtaposition o f Orthodoxy with concrete political manifestations, past or present, pertains to the social dynamics o f the former, as an encompassing reference, o f the Serbian collectivity. Orthodox perceptions o f personhood and the community, emphasise the continuous interaction o f the physical-metaphysical human hypostases. Upon this interaction, coherent notions o f individual and o f collective conduct are forged, reflected in the function o f social institutions. Under the conditions o f a differentiated Serbian society, the Orthodox Church, has historically shared the profane ‘‘custody” o f her deity with political leaders and their respective ideologies. While their symbiosis has not always been harmonious, the societal prominence o f religion has been invariably acknowledged in the Serbian political life.

To that end, Orthodoxy’s influence is initially reviewed with regard to the legitimation o f the political domain, including the externalisation o f religiously induced, moral-ethical precepts. The reciprocated relation o f Orthodoxy with the Serb polity is further elucidated, through specific references to political ideologies, institutions and their representatives. Communism, the Serbian Monarchy, the Chetniks, Tito and Milosevic, accordingly delineate the investigative core o f this analysis. The ensuing conclusions and findings are then assessed, in the context o f the Serbian political culture, including the creation or absence, o f viable alternatives and the prospects o f democracy.

1 The concept of political culture incorporates the attitudes, symbols, practices and different modes of political conduct that characterise the Serbian polity.