Analysis of (un)official discourses on drug use in Serbia

U radu se bavimo analizom diskursa o upotrebi droga u Srbiji danas. Vladajući zvanični diskurs o drogama može se podvesti pod definiciju moralne panike u čijem stvaranju, podjednako kao i u diseminaciji, važnu ulogu imaju mediji. Njihova taktika: upotreba specifičnog vokabulara, i poruke kojim se upozorava na nadolazeću društvenu katastrofu, je djelotvorna: primaoci medijskog sadržaja postaju anksiozni i uplašeni zbog propasti društva koja ih čeka u skorijoj budućnosti, te se logično preobraćaju u podržavaoce zvaničnih diskursa o nekoj temi. Ovaj proces doveden do kraja ima moć da nakratko spoji pokidano društveno tkivo, ali i da proizvede specifičnu neslobodu građana. Da bismo istražili da li moralne panike vezane za droge i u našoj zemlji mogu imati takve implikacije, u ovom radu smo se bavili analizom zvaničnog diskursa koji je oličen u politikama borbe protiv droga, te onog javnog, koji nam nude recipijenti medijskog sadržaja. Našli smo da kreatori politika pozivaju na objavu rata drogama, i imenuju kao najuspješnije strategije borbe prevenciju i kriminalizaciju. Sa njima su u tom pogledu saglasni i primaoci medijskog sadržaja. Nadalje, nema nikakve sumnje oko toga da ovakav diskurs podstiče širenje moralne panike, ali i stvaranje društvenog konsenzusa po pitanju droga. Iako apstraktno definisan, neprijatelj-droga, ima moć da ujedini. No, on može i da oduzme slobodu. Mi smo prepoznali da je taj, moralnom panikom kreiran prostor neslobode omeđen nadolazećom katastrofom, osjećanjem lične nemoći i pozivom višim instancama da djeluju u ime društvene budućnosti.In the article, we analyse discourse on drug abuse in contemporary Serbia. The ruling official discourse on drugs can be subsumed under the definition of moral panic, in creation of which, as well in dissemination, the media play an important role. Media uses specific vocabulary to send message warning of an impending social catastrophe. This tactic is effective: recipients of media content become anxious and frightened by the downfall of the society that awaits them in the near future. So logically they are converting into supporters of official discourses on the topic. In the end, this process has the power to briefly connect a shredded tissue of social cohesion, but also to produce a lack of freedom of citizens. In order to investigate whether drug-related moral panics in our country can have such implications, in this paper we analyzed the official discourse embodied in anti-drug policies, and the public discourse offered by media. Findings suggest that policymakers are calling on war against drugs, and name prevention and criminalization as the most successful strategies to fight it. The recipients of media content are agreeing with them. Furthermore, there is no doubt that such o discourse encourages the spread of moral panic about drugs, as well as social cohesion. Although abstractly defined, the enemy - drug, has the power to unite. However, it also causes a lack of freedom. Because of the narrative of the impending catastrophe, the citizens feel powerless and therefore demand from the higher state authorities to act in the name of the social future

Youth risk behaviors: A review of definitions and trends

U ovom tekstu smo se bavili analizom definicija i fenomenologijom rizičnih ponašanja mladih ljudi. Pokazalo se tako da u rizična ponašanja spada širok dijapazon pojava, čiji se obim stalno povećava. Van polja rizičnog ostaje ono što je društveno poželjno. Stoga je donekle i razumljivo zašto društveno-kritički manir u izučavanju ovog vida ponašanja uglavnom izostaje. Naime, istraživanja i teorijska promišljanja polaze od objektivističkog, a tek izuzetno od konstruktivističkog pristupa. Ukazivanjem na promjene u obrascima kretanja rizičnog ponašanja, imali smo namjeru da problematizujemo ovakve naučne preferencije, te da pokušamo odgovoriti na pitanje da li je adekvatnije govoriti o društvu (ekosistemu) rizičnom po mlade, ili pak o mladima u riziku?.This text presents an analysis of the definitions and the phenomenology of youth risk behaviors. The analysis showed that risk behaviors include a wide array of issues, growing ever broader in scope. Furthermore, what remains out of the scope of risk behaviors is what is socially desirable. It is, therefore, understandable why research in this area lacks a social-critical approach. Namely, research and theoretical discussions are based on the objectivistic approach, and only rarely on the constructivistic approach. By pointing out the changes in the patterns of risk behaviors, we intended to raise the issue of the scientific approach, as well as to try to answer the question of whether it is more appropriate to talk about the society (ecosystem) that places young people at risk, or about young people at risk

Socio-pathological profile and treatment of persons placed in penitentiary psychiatric hospital for treatment and care

U ovom radu smo se bavili istraživanjem posebne, marginalizovane populacije – neuračunljivim i smanjeno uračunljivim licima. O ovim smo licima, koja su, barem kada je riječ o našoj naučnoj produkciji, u značajnoj mjeri zapostavljena, sliku stvarali na osnovu teorijske analize i empirijskog istraživanja, koje je bilo usmjeravano osnovnim nalazima prethodne. U prvom dijelu studije smo se bavili teorijskom analizom pitanja koja okružuju neuračunljivost iz longitudinalne perspektive, a drugom smo dali nalaze našeg istraživanja kojim smo obuhvatili rezidente Specijalne zatvorske bolnice u Beogradu. Kada je riječ o teorijskim paradigmama, valja kazati da su o ovim licima najpozvanije da govore psihijatrija i pravo. No, integrativni pristup ovoj problematici manjka, te smo, da bismo stekli sliku o tretmanu oboljelih opasnih po društvo, dali prikaz čitavog niza psihijatrijskih i pravnih shvatanja o neuračunljivima: uzrocima bolesti i opasnosti, te njihovom tretmanu. Nalazi teorijske analize su nedvosmisleno ukazali na nizak društveni, institucionalni i porodični položaj ovih lica, koji se može opisati kao – izolovanost. Ovi nalazi su bili naročito usmjeravajući za drugi, empirijski dio studije, u kojoj smo se bavili istraživanjem sociopatoloških profila i tretmana štićenika zatvorske psihijatrijske bolnice u Beogradu. Istraživanje je teklo u dvije faze. U prvoj smo se bavili kvantitativnom, a u drugoj produbljenom, kvalitativnom analizom priča o naših sagovornika. Najprije smo pristupili prikupljanju i analizi podatka iz službene dokumentacije oboljelih lica (N=234) koja su se u vrijeme istraživanja nalazila u zatvorskoj bolnici. U drugoj fazi smo izdvojili 50 ispitanika čije su žrtve članovi porodica, a važan uvidu u tretman i položaj oboljelih su nam dali njihovi čuvari (komandiri), ordinirajući psihijatri, socijalne radnice i psiholog. Glavni cilj istraživanja je bio deskripitivni: da opišemo sociopatološke profile i tretman ovih lica. Opise smo zasnovali na trima dimenzija tzv. sociološke tipologije: 1. na ličnim ili antropološkim; 2. patološkim odlikama; 3. te na statusima: porodičnom i institucionalnom, o čemu su nam sa svoje strane lični uvid dali naši sagovornici – ispitanici. U istraživanju smo koristili nekoliko metoda za prikupljanje i analizu podataka. Riječ je o analizi sadržaja, polustrukturisanom intervjuu i posmatranju, kome smo dali mjesto pomoćnog metoda. Nalaze smo analizirali koristeći statistički metod i već pomenutu narativnu analizu. Neke od hipoteza koje smo provjeravali u istraživanju, kao što su ona o izuzetnoj zastupljenosti porodične disfunkcionalnosti, o niskom porodičnom i institucionalnom položaju, i konačno, o nekim kriminološko kliničkim odlikama ove populacije, stoje...This paper deals with a special, marginalized population group – insane and semi-insane individuals. The image about those persons, who are, at least at home science circles, notably ignored, was created on basis of theoretical analyses and empirical research that was directed by the results of the former. The first part of the paper discusses the theoretical analyses of issues concerning insanity from a longitudinal perspective, whilst the second part contains results of our research conducted on residents of Special Penitentiary Hospital in Belgrade. In view of theoretical paradigms it may be said that the most competent to reason about those individuals are psychiatric and law experts. However, integrative approach to this particular issue is deficient and, to be able to create an image about treatment of dangerous to society mentally ill, we gathered a number of psychiatry and law related comprehension of the insane: causes of disease and dangers from, as well as treatment. The findings have, no doubt, revealed the low social, institutional and family status of those individuals that may be described as – isolation. These facts had been a guiding point for the second, empirical part of the research which studied sociopath profile and treatment of detainees in Belgrade penitentiary psychiatric hospital. The research was divided into two phases. In the first phase a quantitative analyses was conducted, while the second consisted of a qualitative analyses of stories told by our interviewees. Firstly, the information pertaining to the official documentation on the mentally ill (N=23) who were presently serving their sentence at the penitentiary hospital was gathered and analysed. In the second phase we singled out 50 individuals whose victims were their family members. Insight into their treatment and status was provided by their guards (commanders), clinical psychiatrists, social worker and the psychologist. The main aim of the research was descriptive: that is to describe sociopath profiles and treatment of those individuals. The descriptions were based on three dimensions of so-called sociological typology: 1. personal or anthropological; 2. pathological; and 3. status: family and institutional as experienced by our interviewees – respondents. Several methods of collecting and analysing data were used for the research purposes. That is content analyses, semistructured interview and observation as a supporting point. The findings were analysed by statistical method and previously mentioned narrative analyses..

Myself and the others in the postmodern society: Research on the characteristics of relational patterns on students sample

U radu se bavimo istraživanjem percepcije mladih ljudi o Drugom. Istraživanje je smješteno u kontekst posmodernog društva za koje je karakteristična proizvodnja neizvjesnosti i neoindividualizam. Drugi je nerijetko objektifikovan - on treba da posluži ispunjenju naših ciljeva, dok je mogućnost autentičnog susreta svedena na najmanju moguću mjeru. Cilj analize je bio da opišemo kako naši mladi percipiraju Drugog i kakve odnose s drugima praktikuju. Istraživanjem je obuhvaćeno 197 ispitanika, studenata humanističkih fakulteta u Srbiji. Da bismo ispitali njihova uvjerenja i prakse koristili smo strukturisani upitnik. Nalazi su pokazali da nema mjesta za optimizam: većina ispitanika je nepovjerljiva prema drugima, žive u uvjerenju da se mogu osloniti samo na sebe, a procenat usamljenih je visok. Imajući na umu uočeno, ukazano je na potrebu za daljim istraživanjem ove tematike.Subject of this article is exploration of relational patterns of young people: their beliefs, feelings, perceptions and experiences gained through relationships with other people in postmodern social context. The postmodern societies, including ours, share the same characteristics: production of uncertainty, neo-individualism and consequent loss of contact with another human being. The others are often objectivised - they should serve to fulfill our goals, while the possibility of an authentic human contact is reduced to a minimum. Although not clinically striking, these behavioural patterns - ways of adaptation to the uncertain social context, can not be classified as personally and developmentally beneficial. The goal of our analysis was to describe how our young people perceive the Other and how they interact with the others. The survey was conducted on 197 students of humanities faculties. In order to examine their beliefs and practices we used a structured questionnaire. Findings have shown that there is no room for optimism: most respondents are distrustful to others, living in the belief that they can rely solely on themselves, and the percentage of lonely ones is high. Having in mind the above, the need for further research on this subject has been recognized

Are we someone's? Perception and reception of trauma narratives from the listener's perspective

: У овом раду се бавимо анализом наратива реципијента високо трауматизујућег садржаја. Причама о траумама свједочио је аутор документарног филма о људима који су као дјеца преживјели страхоте логора Независне Државе Хрватске. Ријеч је о трауми која погађа и колективе жртва и колективе џелата, а да би се и једни и други опоравили, неопходно је и да приче о страдању буду испричане, и да постоји спремност да их саслушамо. Но, ова два корака је тешко направити: преживјели има отпор да се поновно сусретне са личном патњом, као што уосталом и слушаоцу може бити мучно да се суочи са таквим људским болом. Слушање трауматизујућег садржаја, ако је судити по налазима студија које су се бавиле овом темом, има капацитет да код реципијента изазове секундарну трауму, посебно уколико је у дужем временском периоду изложен оваквим причама. Једно од питања којим смо се у овој студији бавили је било: да ли је такав исход нужан? Анализа начина на који наш саговорник разумије и емоционално доживљава приче дјеце логораша, упућује на закључак да је он испољио високу резилијентност и доживио лични раст и развој, трагајући за смислом такве нечовјечне патње, и проналазећи лична значења у трагедији. С друге стране, иако је исход процеса свједочења причама о страдању у цјелини позитиван, нашег саговорника су недовољно уважавајући друштвени третман страдалника и дезавуисање теме колективне трауме кроз њену политичку (зло)употребу, ставили у ризик од емоционалног сагоријевања.In this paper, we deal with a qualitative analysis of the narrative of man who witnessed stories of suffering. The witness is the author of a documentary film about people who survived the horrors of the concentration camps of the Independent State of Croatia as children. It is a matter of collective trauma, which affects both victims and executioners, and in order for both of them to recover, the stories of suffering must be told, and we must be ready to listen to them. However, these two steps are complex to deal with: it is difficult for a survivor to face personal suffering, just as it can be for a listener to face human pain. Traumatic content, judging by the findings of studies that have dealt with this topic, can cause secondary trauma to the recipient, who receives such stories over a long period. One of the questions we addressed in this study was whether such an outcome was necessary. An analysis of how our interviewee perceives, understands, and emotionally experiences the stories of traumatized children, reveals the growth of his resilience under the influence of the narrative of suffering. The outcome of testifying to such stories is generally positive, on the one hand. On the other, inadequate social treatment and disavowing the topic of collective trauma through its political misuse led to emotional exhaustion in our interviewee

The role of politics in the research of marginalized groups: A critical analysis of two studies on the position of Serbs in Croatia

U radu se bavimo analizom povezanosti između politike i istraživačkog procesa u oblasti izučavanja marginalizovanih grupa. Ovom pitanju smo pristupili iz vizure jedne, u domaćem setingu skorije utemeljene naučne discipline Sociologije marginalizovanih grupa, pred kojom stoje brojni metodološki izazovi, proizašli i iz njenog predmeta proučavanja. To su visoko vulnerabilne grupe i pojedinci, čije izučavanje zahtjeva prilagođene istraživačke tehnike, i isti takav pristup. Budući marginalizovani, ljudi koji pripadaju ovoj populaciji po pravilu nemaju glas. Zbog toga istraživač ima dodatnu odgovornost da u refleksivnom, i samorefleksivnom maniru razmotri metodološke i etičke zamke u koje može upasti tokom istraživačkog procesa. Posebno, mora se voditi računa o tome da li, i na koji način politički diskurs utiče na istraživački dizajn, prikupljanje, analizu i interpretaciju rezultata, s obzirom na to da su marginalizovane grupe čest predmet različitih zloupotreba. Da bismo ukazali na fakt da političko ima važan uticaj na naučna istraživanja, kao i da može imati dugoročne posljedice po istraživanu populaciju, pristupili smo kritičkoj analizi dviju studija autora Milana Mesića i Dragana Bagića, koje se bave Srbima povratnicima na Prostor od posebne državne skrbi (brige) u Hrvatskoj. Kritička analiza je potvrdila da je faktor političko nesumnjivo uticao na način interpretacije rezultata, promociju određenih ideja i vrijednosti (bliskih političkom diskusu), i konačno, da ide na štetu istraživane grupe. Sumirano, možemo zaključiti da kontaminacija naučnih studija političkim, pogotovo onih primjenjenog tipa, ide nauštrb kako istraživača tako i populacije koja je u fokusu istraživanja.The paper deals with the analysis of the connection between politics and the research process in the field of marginalized groups. We approached this question from the perspective of a recently established scientific discipline, the Sociology of Marginalized Groups, which faces numerous methodological challenges, arising from its subject of study. These are highly vulnerable groups and individuals whose study requires tailored research techniques and the same type of approach. Being marginalized, as a rule, people who belong to this population do not have a voice. Therefore, the researcher has the additional responsibility to consider the methodological and ethical pitfalls that he/she may encounter during the research process in the reflexive and self-reflective manner. In particular, consideration must be given to whether, and in what way, political discourse influences the research design, collection, analysis and interpretation of results, since marginalized groups are oft en the subject of various abuses. To highlight the fact that politics has an important impact on scientific research, as well as having long-term consequences for the population studied, we have critically analyzed two studies by authors Milan Mesić and Dragan Bagić, which address Serb returnees in the Area of Special State Concern (care) in Croatia. Critical analysis confirmed that the political factor undoubtedly influenced the way in which the results were interpreted, the promotion of certain ideas and values (close to political discourse), and finally, to the detriment of the research group. In summary, we can conclude that the contamination of scientific studies with politics, especially those of the applied type, is to the detriment of both researchers and the population that is the focus of research

Violence of young people over parents in Belgrade: Analysis of official data

U radu će biti riječi o jednoj od najstrožije čuvanih porodičnih tajni - nasilju djece nad roditeljima. O ovom fenomenu veoma malo znamo, iako je sva prilika da dobija zabrinjavajuće razmjere na globalnom nivou. Domaćih istraživanja viktimizacije roditelja od strane djece gotovo da nema. Stoga je primarni cilj naše analize bio da opišemo: obilježja nasilja, nasilnika i žrtava, te karakteristike porodičnog mikrosistema i ponudimo moguća objašenja etiologije i posljedica koje viktimizacija ima po roditelje i ukupnu porodičnu dinamiku. U istraživanju smo koristili dokumentacionu građu centara za socijalni rad na teritoriji grada Beograda o prijavljenim slučajevima nasilja djece nad roditeljima u periodu od 2010. do 2016. godine. Iz elektronske baze centara izdvojeno je 85 dosijea roditelja koje su viktimizovala njihova djeca. Nalazi analize su potvrdili da u kreiranju nasilnih događaja ulogu igraju kako faktor ličnosti i zloupotreba psihoaktivnih supstanci (PAS) od strane nasilnika, tako i porodična dinamika, a sva je prilika da u ovu jednačinu treba uključiti društveni i pravni tretman porodice i javni diksurs o roditeljima koji postaju žrtve svoje djece.In this paper, we analyzed the violence of youth over parents. Parental victimization is the topic that is not enough revived in foreign, and especially not in domestic scientific literature. When it comes to our country, the focus of domestic researchers on two types of domestic violence is evident. Violence over women and children are considered to be the only relevant and highly troubling type of victimization by family violence. Our paper goals were to describe the characteristics of the perpetrators and victims, the characteristics of violence and family dynamics, and to try to understand the findings from the ecosystem's perspective. The ecosystem theory explains violence by the ontogenic, microsystem, mesosystem and egzosystem factors. We examined two dimensions of the model: ontogenetic, which emphasize individual characteristics, and microsystem - which is focused on factors connected with family system. We used documentary data on parents victimization gathered from the electronic database from Belgrade's Centers for Social Work for the period from 2010. to 2016. The sample consists of 85 files of fathers and mothers who were violated by their children, age 18-14. The data was collected and then statistically processed. The findings indicate that victims are mostly female, living in single-parent families, with poor educational, working and mental health status. It is also indicative that the share of fathers in the total number of victimized parents has a trend of growth. We noticed the differences in the structure of families from which parents come. Mothers mostly live alone with children, and fathers in a two-parent family. We find out that the predominant abusers are sons. The mental health of the perpetrators, regardless of gender, is fragile, and they are existencially dependent on their parents. Most of the parents are victimized by physical or physical and other forms of violence. The type of violence is significantly related to the sex of the abuser and the state of his mental health. Victimization is, as a rule, repeated and in a large number of cases, there is a danger of further progression of violence. Family dynamics is characterized by the absence of boundaries, rules, with parental permissiveness, and powerlessness. High dysfunctionality of family relations can be noted. In summary, the findings provide empirical confirmation of the ecosystem model assumptions

Homeless people in modern society: between ignoring and (crimes of) hatred

U radu se bavimo analizom društvenog tretmana beskućnika i njihovom vikimizacijom. Emprijski podataci koji se o ovoj pojavi prikupljaju u nekim zemljama ukazuju da su ljudi koji žive iskustvo beskućništva žrtve različitih vidova nasilja. Nadalje, takve statistike upućuju na zaključak da se vikitmizacija beskućnika po svojoj suštini ne razlikuje od zločina mržnje. Međutim, evidentno je da postoji otpor zakonodavaca da beskućnike uključe među one grupe koje su izdvojene kao visoko vulnerabilne i pravnim aktima posebno zaštićene od ovog vida kriminaliteta. Da bismo pronašli odgovor zbog čega su u savremenim demokratijama u kojima su ljudska prava univerzalno dobro, ljudi bez krova nad glavom izostavljeni iz takve legislative, pristupili smo komparativnoj sociološkoj analizi društvenog konteksta, društvenih i zakonskih praksi koje prvenstveno pogađaju beskućnike. Pokazaće se da se društveni tretman ovih ljudi kreće između ignorisanja i kriminalizacije – otvorene netrepeljivosti, kao i da društvo u cjelini ima visoku toleranciju na zločine koji se prema njima vrše. Razlog takvim praksama nalazimo u stotinama godina starim predrasudama prema beskućnicima, koje se svode na dva uvjerenja: da su po društveni red i poredak potencijalno opasna grupa, i da su oni Drugi – manje ljudi, u odnosu na ostale građane.: In this paper, we are exploring social treatment of the homeless and their victimization. Empirical data collected in some countries on this phenomenon indicate that people experiencing homelessness are victims of various forms of violence. Furthermore, such statistics suggest that victimization of the homeless is not inherently different from hate crimes. In addition, it is evident that there is resistance from legislators to include the homeless among those groups that have been singled out as highly vulnerable and specially protected by legal acts from this type of crime. To understand why homeless people are left out of such legislation, in modern democracies where human rights are a universal good, we approached a comparative sociological analysis of the social context, social and legal practices that primarily affect the homeless. It will be shown that the social treatment of these people ranges between ignoring and criminalization - open intolerance, as well as that society as a whole, has a high tolerance for the crimes committed against them. The reason for such practices lies in the hundreds-year-old prejudices against the homeless, based on two beliefs: they are potentially dangerous social group, and they are Others - less people, compared to other citizens