Feminism, Nationalism, and War: The ‘Yugoslav Case’ in Feminist Texts

From the Introduction: This paper presents a study of feminist representations of the situation in the former Yugoslavia. I have decided to look at feminist textsvthat were generated in response to the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which appeared in both the feminist popular press and scholarly publications in English. By focusing on the ideological plane, seen in terms of narrative structures available for speaking and perceiving one’s experience, I seek to examine the feminist representation of the conflict of Yugoslav nationalisms and within Yugoslav feminism itself. Narratives are produced in the space where various discourses transpire, compete, and/or converge. I will here concentrate on the narratives through which the specific, intersectional experience of ethnic and gender identity of Yugoslav women was mediated in feminist texts available in English. I consider these narratives a product of the dynamics of three dominant discourses in feminist texts on Yugoslavia – nationalist, feminist, and Orientalist discourse. I will try to identify the present narratives that feminists used to speak about the experiences of local women and to speak about nationalism and war in the former Yugoslavia. I will examine the ways that nationalist discourse is implicated in these feminist narratives, pointing to critical ‘discursive traps’ in which feminist representation of the conflict was caught. I am particularly interested in discursive mechanisms or ‘traps’ whereby, paradoxically, nationalism gets reproduced and reinforced within nominally anti-nationalist feminism itself. In my analysis, I rely on Dubravka Zarkov’s theoretical approach, which assumes that practices are both represented and constructed through the use of certain discourses. Since neither the authors nor the readers of texts are just passive recipients of discourses, I do not approach feminist texts “merely as reflections on and reports of events.” I define the feminist representation of war as a discursive practice through which both nationalist and feminist ‘realities’ of war are constructed. I assume that feminist texts do not only reflect a feminist view of reality but they also constitute a ‘reality’ themselves and offer politicized subject positions. Thus I do not read feminist texts on the former Yugoslavia as simply conveying information and messages but rather as defining the feminist self and other and as constitutive of a certain type of feminist subjectivity

From inequitable to sustainable e-waste processing for reduction of impact on human health and the environment

Recycling of electric and electronic waste products (e-waste) which amounted to more than 50 million metric tonnes per year worldwide is a massive and global operation. Unfortunately, an estimated 70-80% of this waste has not been properly managed because the waste went from developed to low-income countries to be dumped into landfills or informally recycled. Such recycling has been carried out either directly on landfill sites or in small, often family-run recycling shops without much regulations or oversights. The process traditionally involved manual dismantling, cleaning with hazardous solvents, burning and melting on open fires, etc., which would generate a variety of toxic substances and exposure/hazards to applicators, family members, proximate residents and the environment. The situation clearly calls for global responsibility to reduce the impact on human health and the environment, especially in developing countries where poor residents have been shouldering the hazardous burden. On the other hand, formal e-waste recycling has been mainly conducted in small scales in industrialised countries. Whether the latter process would impose less risk to populations and environment has not been determined yet. Therefore, the main objectives of this review are: 1. to address current trends and emerging threats of not only informal but also formal e-waste management practices, and 2. to propose adequate measures and interventions. A major recommendation is to conduct independent surveillance of compliance with e-waste trading and processing according to the Basel Ban Amendment. The recycling industry needs to be carefully evaluated by joint effort from international agencies, producing industries and other stakeholders to develop better processes. Subsequent transition to more sustainable and equitable e-waste management solutions should result in more effective use of natural resources, and in prevention of adverse effects on health and the environment.Highlights: Most e-waste is informally and inequitably recycled in developing countries; Informal recycling is reported to damage human health and the environment; The currently practised e-waste management system is inequitable and unsustainable; Developing formal and safe e-waste management should be a global priority.This work was supported by the Diagnosis, Monitoring and Prevention of Exposure-Related Noncommunicable Diseases (DiMoPEx) COST Action project (CA15129) and its Final Action Dissemination Grant from the European Unioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio