Abstract: This article highlights the complex character of memory among the Srebrenica massacre s... more Abstract: This article highlights the complex character of memory among the Srebrenica massacre survivors interrogating conventional medical definitions of trauma as a linear category. By examining the fundamental paradox underlying the politics of humanitarianism in Germany (and Berlin in particular) towards Bosnian refugees who fled the Yugoslav wars in the early 1990s, this analysis focuses on a central contradiction of the Duldung status for refugees, which, on the one hand afforded important humanitarian relief, but on the other generated tremendous uncertainties as to whether or how protection would come to an end. The experience of the Duldung status as an ordeal rather than as protection has generated traumas related to constant fear of detention or deportation, which have often proved to be as powerful as those flowing from the earlier horrors of war.
The political materialities of borders aims to bring questions of materiality to bear specificall... more The political materialities of borders aims to bring questions of materiality to bear specifically on the study of borders. In doing this, the contributors have chosen an approach that does not presume the material aspect of borders but rather explores the ways in which any such materiality comes into being. Through ethnographic and philosophical explorations of the ontology of borders from the perspective of materiality, this volume seeks to throw light on the interaction between the materiality of state borders and the non-material aspects of state-making. This enables, it is shown, a new understanding of borders as productive of the politics of materiality, on which both the state project rests, including in its multifarious forms in the post-nation-state era.
This paper discusses the role of past and recent censuses in shaping the political rights allocat... more This paper discusses the role of past and recent censuses in shaping the political rights allocated to ethnic groups in Macedonia. Arguably, the Balkans are a model area for examining how political rights and ethnic groups have been stitched together, reformulated and redefined through different systemic and ideological shifts. I pay special attention to the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919, in which the great powers introduced a new nation-state regime that fostered the rise of ethno-nationalism in newly created states. From 1919 onwards, the relationship between ethnic majorities and minorities became the ground on which the international community interfered in the internal affairs of the newly-formed sovereign states created after the dissolution of the great empires that were defeated in World War I. I also discuss the period after 1991, which was marked by a re-configuration of political rights in newly independent Macedonia, especially in relation to the Albanian ethnic group....
By using the anthropological concepts of shame and honor, this article examines the main elements... more By using the anthropological concepts of shame and honor, this article examines the main elements of the political crisis in the Republic of Macedonia caused by the eavesdropping scandal of 2015.
This chapter examines the materialization of the conflict between Greece and Macedonia in central... more This chapter examines the materialization of the conflict between Greece and Macedonia in central Skopje. It suggests that the buildings and monuments of the Skopje 2014 project should be viewed as displaced borders that effectively signify the struggle over the classical past between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia.
This article highlights the complex character of memory among the Srebrenica massacre survivors i... more This article highlights the complex character of memory among the Srebrenica massacre survivors interrogating conventional medical definitions of trauma as a linear category. By examining the fundamental paradox underlying the politics of humanitarianism in Germany (and Berlin in particular) towards Bosnian refugees who fled the Yugoslav wars in the early 1990s, this analysis focuses on a central contradiction of the Duldung status for refugees, which, on the one hand afforded important humanitarian relief, but on the other generated tremendous uncertainties as to whether or how protection would come to an end. The experience of the Duldung status as an ordeal rather than as protection has generated traumas related to constant fear of detention or deportation, which have often proved to be as powerful as those flowing from the earlier horrors of war.
In post-1991 Macedonia, Barok furniture came to represent affluence and success during a period o... more In post-1991 Macedonia, Barok furniture came to represent affluence and success during a period of transition to a new market economy. This furniture marked the beginning of a larger Baroque style that influenced not only interior decorations in people’s homes but also architecture and public spaces. By tracing the signifier Baroque, the book examines the reconfiguration of hierarchical relations among (ethnic) groups, genders, and countries in a transnational context. Investigating how Baroque has come to signify larger social processes and transformations in the current rebranding of the country, the book reveals the close link between aesthetics and politics, and how ethno-national conflicts are reflected in visually appealing ornamentation.
This paper examines a fundamental paradox underlying humanitarianism in Germany (and Berlin in pa... more This paper examines a fundamental paradox underlying humanitarianism in Germany (and Berlin in particular) towards Bosnian refugees who arrived in the country after the Yugoslav wars in the early 1990s. The generous welcome which extended to more than 300,000 people was coupled with the constant reminder that displaced people were not being given refugee status under the terms of the 1951 Geneva Convention but rather a so-called “tolerated” Duldung status of temporary protection. This paper focuses on a central contradiction of the Duldung status for refugees, which, on the one hand afforded important humanitarian relief, but on the other generated tremendous uncertainties as to whether or how protection would come to an end – especially as substantial numbers of refugees found themselves subject to deportation. The experience of Duldung status as an ordeal rather than as protection has generated traumas related to constant fear of detention or deportation, which have often proved t...
This special issue explores the relationship between heritagization, shifting economies, and urba... more This special issue explores the relationship between heritagization, shifting economies, and urban struggles in different cities around the globe. Our aim is to examine the conditions that have brought history, culture, an old/new urban aesthetics, real estate values, and housing struggles in a relational nexus by looking at the ways in which differently-situated actors mobilize the language of cultural heritage to act upon urban spaces. Ideas of what constitutes a beautiful and livable city are changing along with capital accumulation strategies and urban social geographies. The growing heritagization of historic neighborhoods enables local governments and real-estate developers to engender massive spatial and social changes in the urban landscape. City authorities renovate last swaths of urban fabrics in the name of historic preservation and of the ‘common good’, but this often means that local residents are evicted while private developers allied with these authorities realize hu...
Based on fieldwork examining border porosities between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia this ... more Based on fieldwork examining border porosities between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia this chapter outlines the quest for beauty services of several Greek citizens across the border. Seemingly driven by economic necessities, maintaining “feminine appearances”, and being a “real woman,” this beauty-initiated practice to cross the border reveals manifold aspects of the political economy, the symbolic and discursive aspects of the identity of the parties involved in the border-crossing.
In this volume we explore materiality as a political site. This means inserting the analysis of b... more In this volume we explore materiality as a political site. This means inserting the analysis of borders and bordering into the question about what constitutes materiality, what escapes it, and whether the material can ever be seen in disjunction from the non-material. As we will show, materiality is enmeshed with non-materiality. Consequently, borders exist on both material and non-material registers and produce material configurations, actions, and abstractions that straddle the material and non-material worlds. The notions of ‘difference’, ‘division’, ‘connection’, etc, which emanate from the border, wherever it may be located, need to be understood within this frame.
Abstract: This article highlights the complex character of memory among the Srebrenica massacre s... more Abstract: This article highlights the complex character of memory among the Srebrenica massacre survivors interrogating conventional medical definitions of trauma as a linear category. By examining the fundamental paradox underlying the politics of humanitarianism in Germany (and Berlin in particular) towards Bosnian refugees who fled the Yugoslav wars in the early 1990s, this analysis focuses on a central contradiction of the Duldung status for refugees, which, on the one hand afforded important humanitarian relief, but on the other generated tremendous uncertainties as to whether or how protection would come to an end. The experience of the Duldung status as an ordeal rather than as protection has generated traumas related to constant fear of detention or deportation, which have often proved to be as powerful as those flowing from the earlier horrors of war.
The political materialities of borders aims to bring questions of materiality to bear specificall... more The political materialities of borders aims to bring questions of materiality to bear specifically on the study of borders. In doing this, the contributors have chosen an approach that does not presume the material aspect of borders but rather explores the ways in which any such materiality comes into being. Through ethnographic and philosophical explorations of the ontology of borders from the perspective of materiality, this volume seeks to throw light on the interaction between the materiality of state borders and the non-material aspects of state-making. This enables, it is shown, a new understanding of borders as productive of the politics of materiality, on which both the state project rests, including in its multifarious forms in the post-nation-state era.
This paper discusses the role of past and recent censuses in shaping the political rights allocat... more This paper discusses the role of past and recent censuses in shaping the political rights allocated to ethnic groups in Macedonia. Arguably, the Balkans are a model area for examining how political rights and ethnic groups have been stitched together, reformulated and redefined through different systemic and ideological shifts. I pay special attention to the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919, in which the great powers introduced a new nation-state regime that fostered the rise of ethno-nationalism in newly created states. From 1919 onwards, the relationship between ethnic majorities and minorities became the ground on which the international community interfered in the internal affairs of the newly-formed sovereign states created after the dissolution of the great empires that were defeated in World War I. I also discuss the period after 1991, which was marked by a re-configuration of political rights in newly independent Macedonia, especially in relation to the Albanian ethnic group....
By using the anthropological concepts of shame and honor, this article examines the main elements... more By using the anthropological concepts of shame and honor, this article examines the main elements of the political crisis in the Republic of Macedonia caused by the eavesdropping scandal of 2015.
This chapter examines the materialization of the conflict between Greece and Macedonia in central... more This chapter examines the materialization of the conflict between Greece and Macedonia in central Skopje. It suggests that the buildings and monuments of the Skopje 2014 project should be viewed as displaced borders that effectively signify the struggle over the classical past between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia.
This article highlights the complex character of memory among the Srebrenica massacre survivors i... more This article highlights the complex character of memory among the Srebrenica massacre survivors interrogating conventional medical definitions of trauma as a linear category. By examining the fundamental paradox underlying the politics of humanitarianism in Germany (and Berlin in particular) towards Bosnian refugees who fled the Yugoslav wars in the early 1990s, this analysis focuses on a central contradiction of the Duldung status for refugees, which, on the one hand afforded important humanitarian relief, but on the other generated tremendous uncertainties as to whether or how protection would come to an end. The experience of the Duldung status as an ordeal rather than as protection has generated traumas related to constant fear of detention or deportation, which have often proved to be as powerful as those flowing from the earlier horrors of war.
In post-1991 Macedonia, Barok furniture came to represent affluence and success during a period o... more In post-1991 Macedonia, Barok furniture came to represent affluence and success during a period of transition to a new market economy. This furniture marked the beginning of a larger Baroque style that influenced not only interior decorations in people’s homes but also architecture and public spaces. By tracing the signifier Baroque, the book examines the reconfiguration of hierarchical relations among (ethnic) groups, genders, and countries in a transnational context. Investigating how Baroque has come to signify larger social processes and transformations in the current rebranding of the country, the book reveals the close link between aesthetics and politics, and how ethno-national conflicts are reflected in visually appealing ornamentation.
This paper examines a fundamental paradox underlying humanitarianism in Germany (and Berlin in pa... more This paper examines a fundamental paradox underlying humanitarianism in Germany (and Berlin in particular) towards Bosnian refugees who arrived in the country after the Yugoslav wars in the early 1990s. The generous welcome which extended to more than 300,000 people was coupled with the constant reminder that displaced people were not being given refugee status under the terms of the 1951 Geneva Convention but rather a so-called “tolerated” Duldung status of temporary protection. This paper focuses on a central contradiction of the Duldung status for refugees, which, on the one hand afforded important humanitarian relief, but on the other generated tremendous uncertainties as to whether or how protection would come to an end – especially as substantial numbers of refugees found themselves subject to deportation. The experience of Duldung status as an ordeal rather than as protection has generated traumas related to constant fear of detention or deportation, which have often proved t...
This special issue explores the relationship between heritagization, shifting economies, and urba... more This special issue explores the relationship between heritagization, shifting economies, and urban struggles in different cities around the globe. Our aim is to examine the conditions that have brought history, culture, an old/new urban aesthetics, real estate values, and housing struggles in a relational nexus by looking at the ways in which differently-situated actors mobilize the language of cultural heritage to act upon urban spaces. Ideas of what constitutes a beautiful and livable city are changing along with capital accumulation strategies and urban social geographies. The growing heritagization of historic neighborhoods enables local governments and real-estate developers to engender massive spatial and social changes in the urban landscape. City authorities renovate last swaths of urban fabrics in the name of historic preservation and of the ‘common good’, but this often means that local residents are evicted while private developers allied with these authorities realize hu...
Based on fieldwork examining border porosities between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia this ... more Based on fieldwork examining border porosities between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia this chapter outlines the quest for beauty services of several Greek citizens across the border. Seemingly driven by economic necessities, maintaining “feminine appearances”, and being a “real woman,” this beauty-initiated practice to cross the border reveals manifold aspects of the political economy, the symbolic and discursive aspects of the identity of the parties involved in the border-crossing.
In this volume we explore materiality as a political site. This means inserting the analysis of b... more In this volume we explore materiality as a political site. This means inserting the analysis of borders and bordering into the question about what constitutes materiality, what escapes it, and whether the material can ever be seen in disjunction from the non-material. As we will show, materiality is enmeshed with non-materiality. Consequently, borders exist on both material and non-material registers and produce material configurations, actions, and abstractions that straddle the material and non-material worlds. The notions of ‘difference’, ‘division’, ‘connection’, etc, which emanate from the border, wherever it may be located, need to be understood within this frame.
The political materialities of borders aims to bring questions of materiality to bear specificall... more The political materialities of borders aims to bring questions of materiality to bear specifically on the study of borders. In doing this, the contributors have chosen an approach that does not presume the material aspect of borders but rather explores the ways in which any such materiality comes into being. Through ethnographic and philosophical explorations of the ontology of borders from the perspective of materiality, this volume seeks to throw light on the interaction between the materiality of state borders and the non-material aspects of state-making. This enables, it is shown, a new understanding of borders as productive of the politics of materiality, on which both the state project rests, including in its multifarious forms in the post-nation-state era.
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