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Volume 69 Issue 1 - In the Name of the Daughter. Anthropology of Gender in Montenegro

Issue of Comparative Southeast European Studies

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Contents
Journal Overview

Publicly Available April 16, 2021

Editorial

Open Access April 16, 2021

In the Name of the Daughter. Anthropology of Gender in Montenegro

Guest Editor: Čarna Brković

Open Access April 16, 2021

In the Name of the Daughter – Anthropology of Gender in Montenegro. An Introduction

Čarna Brković

Page range: 5-18

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Open Access April 16, 2021

How the Female Subject was Tempered. An Instructive History of 8 March and Its Media Representation in Naša Žena (Our Woman)

Paula Petričević

Page range: 19-43

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Abstract

The author explores the socialist emancipation of women in Montenegro during World War II and its aftermath, using the example of the 8 March celebrations. The social life of this ‘holiday of the struggle of all the women in the world’ speaks powerfully of the strength and fortitude involved in the mobilization of women during the war and during the postwar building of socialist Yugoslavia, as well as the sudden modernization and unprecedented political subjectivation of women. The emancipatory potential of these processes turned out to be limited in the later period of stabilization of Yugoslav state socialism and largely forgotten in the postsocialist period. The author argues that the political subjectivation of women needs to be thought anew, as a process that does not take place in a vacuum or outside of a certain ideological matrix, whether socialist or liberal.

Open Access April 16, 2021

Between Resistance and Repatriarchalization. Women’s Activism in the Bay of Kotor in the 1990s

Ervina Dabižinović

Page range: 45-67

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Abstract

The author offers an account of women’s activism in the Bay of Kotor in the 1990s, thereby filling a gap in the academic literature on antiwar and peace activism in Montenegro during the Yugoslav wars. Although the Bay of Kotor saw regular antiwar and peace initiatives organized and led by women, these were unregistered grassroots activities. They went largely unnoticed by the media, which effectively erased them from the view of Montenegrin citizens and hid them from domestic and international historians and social scientists. The author compares the work of two non-governmental organizations, the ANIMA Centre for Women’s and Peace Education in Kotor, and RIZA–Bijela. She explores how the two organizations understood the place and role of women in the processes that took place in Montenegro in the 1990s. She assesses the similarities and differences of their respective approaches, and the effects of their work.

Open Access April 16, 2021

An Ethnographic Exploration of Son Preference and Inheritance Practices in Montenegro

Diāna Kiščenko

Page range: 69-88

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Abstract

Montenegro is one of the 10 countries in the world with the most imbalanced sex ratio at birth, pointing to the existence of son preference in Montenegrin society. While, over the last decade, international and local organizations have raised awareness of this issue, empirical studies about this phenomenon in Montenegro are scarce. The author conducts an ethnographic exploration into women’s experience of son preference in central Montenegro by presenting their personal and intimate perspective. The resulting paper suggests that son preference is shaped by and manifests through the inheritance practice of property being passed on to the male heir. Through her analysis, the author demonstrates how ideas about gender roles, family planning, housing and inheritance strategies swing back and forth between ‘traditional’ and ‘modern,’ ‘backward’ and ‘progressive.’

Open Access April 16, 2021

‘Daughters Too Are Our Children.’ Gender Relations and Inheritance in Njeguši

Klāvs Sedlenieks

Page range: 89-107

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Abstract

The stereotypes of Montenegrin gender relations depict men doing war and women constrained to lead extremely hard lives consisting of reproduction and domestic work. In this study with a focus on Njeguši, the author instead demonstrates how gender relations are characterised by a dynamic process which defies attempts to present a one-dimensional picture. For example, the widespread tradition that sons inherit, to the exclusion of daughters, proves to be linked to the much less problematised principle of virilocal marriages, with the consequence that women are strongly encouraged to leave family property, while men are morally bound to stay on it. The reverse condition is that women are able to enjoy freedom of movement while men have difficulty finding spouses, and once married many of them live apart from their wives. The author also addresses the business of ‘importing’ brides as well as the phenomenon of brother-and-sister households.

Article

Open Access April 16, 2021

Being a Muslim in Belgrade. Ivan Ejub Kostić in Conversation with Armina Galijaš

Armina Galijaš, Ivan Ejub Kostić

Page range: 109-132

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Abstract

Armina Galijaš interviewed Ivan Ejub Kostić on several occasions in Belgrade during 2019. The topic of the interviews was the contemporary sociopolitical position, the history, and the daily life of Muslims in Serbia and in Belgrade, a subject on which Ivan Ejub Kostić is an expert. He was born in Belgrade in 1979 and has lived there ever since. Islam is an integral part of his life, not only as a religion that he embraced over 15 years ago but also as a field of scholarly and sociopolitical interest. His elaborate answer to the question, ‘What is it like to be a Muslim in Belgrade?’ offers insights into both Ivan’s personal path and Muslim lives in Belgrade and in Serbia today.

Policy Analysis

Open Access April 16, 2021

Troubled Water in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey Challenges Greece and Cyprus Regarding Energy Resources

Heinz-Jürgen Axt

Page range: 133-152

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Abstract

The conflict between Turkey on the one hand and Greece and Cyprus on the other was exacerbated when Turkey and Libya reached an agreement on the delimitation of maritime zones to explore and exploit energy resources in late 2019. The countries were on the brink of military confrontation. This was the latest climax of a longer period of conflict and mistrust, during which negative perceptions became more entrenched on all sides. Energy is globally high in demand but exploiting resources in the Mediterranean Sea at competitive prices is difficult. The international community has developed an ambitious Law of the Sea, but its interpretation is controversial. Compromises are needed to de-escalate. What might serve as a ‘bridge over troubled waters’ in the Eastern Mediterranean? The author comments on the available options.

Book Reviews

Open Access April 16, 2021

Don Kalb & Massimiliano Mollona, eds, Worldwide Mobilizations. Class Struggles and Urban Commoning

Chiara Milan

Page range: 153-156

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Open Access April 16, 2021

Florian Bieber: The Rise of Authoritarianism in the Western Balkans

Jasmin Mujanović

Page range: 157-159

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Open Access April 16, 2021

Florian Bieber / Nikolaos Tzifakis, eds, The Western Balkans in the World. Linkages and Relations with Non-Western Countries

Johanna Deimel

Page range: 161-164

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Open Access April 16, 2021

Sylë Osmanaj and Pena i shkruante lirisë: Shkrime autoriale të botuara në gazetën e përdishme ‘Rilindja’ në kohën e suprimimit të shtetësisë së Kosovës 1989-1999

Mihail Ceropita

Page range: 165-166

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Open Access April 16, 2021

Jelena Đureinović: The Politics of Memory of the Second World War in Contemporary Serbia. Collaboration, Resistance and Retribution

Jovan Byford

Page range: 167-169

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About this journal

The quarterly Comparative Southeast European Studies (COMPSEES) evolved into its new format from that of its predecessor Südosteuropa. Journal of Politics and Society. From 2021 onwards, it is published both digitally, in Open Access, and in print, thereby becoming more easily accessible and even more visible internationally, not least in Southeastern Europe itself. Before long, a digital repository of Südosteuropa will be available to everyone.

Comparative Southeast European Studies will continue to be a forum for scholars in Political Science, Sociology, Contemporary History, Anthropology, Economics, International Relations, Law Studies, Gender Studies, Media Studies, Cultural Studies, and related disciplines. Taking a comparative and broad multidisciplinary perspective it will explore critical processes and societal issues related to　the area bounded by the eastern Adriatic, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. We use two formats to showcase research. There are peer-reviewed research articles and a shorter format open to other text genres, which are presented under headings such as ‘Commentary’, ‘Interview’, ‘Background’, ‘Policy Analysis’, ‘Film in Focus’, ‘Debate’, ‘Spotlight’, ‘Book Symposium’, ‘The Making of...’, for example. This is a flexible section allowing us to address more immediately pertinent political, social, cultural, and academic matters. In addition, the Journal also features a book review section.

The new name Comparative Southeast European Studies is the logical next step in the Journal’s evolution. After it was founded in 1952, for more than half a century its predecessor Südosteuropa served as a well-established policy advice journal monitoring events in the region, before in 2007 taking a turn towards becoming a research-oriented multidisciplinary forum of the social sciences. Since 2014 the Journal has been published exclusively in English. We have continued to work towards improving its quality, including by addressing the citation indices relevant in the field, as they increase the pool of potential authors. A rigorous double-blind peer review regime has guided us while we have become more selective in what we publish. We prioritise work that is empirically and methodologically sound, well-written and jargon-free, thereby fostering interdisciplinary scholarly communication. We remain committed to broadening the range of the research we publish, while welcoming both emerging and established scholars to publish with us. Comparative Southeast European Studies strives to consolidate its reputation as one of the major area studies journals focusing on Southeastern Europe. We encourage transnational and entangled comparative perspectives, acknowledging that any ‘area’, any geographical construct, functions in its transareal, indeed global, relations.

We welcome both single manuscript submissions and proposals for guest-edited thematic sections. We look forward to working with you.

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Comparative Southeast European Studies is published by De Gruyter on behalf of © The Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies 2022

Volume 69 Issue 1 - In the Name of the Daughter. Anthropology of Gender in Montenegro

Issue of Comparative Southeast European Studies

Frontmatter

Editorial

In the Name of the Daughter – Anthropology of Gender in Montenegro. An Introduction

How the Female Subject was Tempered. An Instructive History of 8 March and Its Media Representation in Naša Žena (Our Woman)

Abstract

Between Resistance and Repatriarchalization. Women’s Activism in the Bay of Kotor in the 1990s

Abstract

An Ethnographic Exploration of Son Preference and Inheritance Practices in Montenegro

Abstract

‘Daughters Too Are Our Children.’ Gender Relations and Inheritance in Njeguši

Abstract

Being a Muslim in Belgrade. Ivan Ejub Kostić in Conversation with Armina Galijaš

Abstract

Troubled Water in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey Challenges Greece and Cyprus Regarding Energy Resources

Abstract

Don Kalb & Massimiliano Mollona, eds, Worldwide Mobilizations. Class Struggles and Urban Commoning

Florian Bieber: The Rise of Authoritarianism in the Western Balkans

Florian Bieber / Nikolaos Tzifakis, eds, The Western Balkans in the World. Linkages and Relations with Non-Western Countries

Sylë Osmanaj and Pena i shkruante lirisë: Shkrime autoriale të botuara në gazetën e përdishme ‘Rilindja’ në kohën e suprimimit të shtetësisë së Kosovës 1989-1999

Jelena Đureinović: The Politics of Memory of the Second World War in Contemporary Serbia. Collaboration, Resistance and Retribution