CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Boskovic, Emilija |
|---|---|
| Title | Negotiating politics: Urban Grassroots For and Against the State in Post-Socialist Serbia |
| Summary | This thesis explores the narratives and practicess of an urban grassroots Initiative in the context of post-socialist Belgrade, Serbia. Looking at a civic Initiative that emerged over a proposed urbanization project of the residential neighborhood of Zvezdara, this research explores how the notions of the local, national and global are experienced as collapsing into one – the State. As the urbanization project it acts as a site of negotiation between the State and its citizens. Initiative has opened up space for civic agency and political engagement. The notion of urban space is explored in relation to political agency of citizens and solidarity-making processes between residents, and general public. Such political agency was deployed in a context of dissolusionment with the realm of party politics. As the public institutions are deemed to be corrupt and uncaring, although excessivelly present, the mobilization of citizens is termed along a normative frame of values, health and ’’ ;normalcyȁ 9;’. Moreover, seemingly contradictory claims of hope for and against the state are explored, sheading a light on particularities of affective engagements with not just the contamporary state, but the former socialist state as well. As the state is understood to be uncaring and cruel, a locus of hope and a point of dissapointment, excessively present and absent in the lives of citizens, the practices which arise in relation to its inillegibility should be understood as a way of negotiating political engagement. |
| Supervisor | Sopranzzeti Claudio, Monterescu Daniel |
| Department | Sociology MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/boskovic_emilija.pdf |
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