What remains of Yugoslavia? From the geopolitical space of Yugoslavia to the virtual space of the Web Yugosphere

The article works from the double hypothesis that: (1) a Yugoslav socio-cultural space still exists in spite of the dissolution of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; (2) the communities \u2018occupying\u2019 this space can be considered, in some measure, \u2018diasporic\u2019, if the \u2018Yugoslav diaspora\u2019 is defined by not only the geographic displacement of people but also by the loosening of the connections between the members of an ex-nation who still consider themselves a national community. The \u2018space\u2019 mapped in the essay is the so-called \u2018virtual space\u2019 of the Web, including all websites that reconnect to the \u2018cultural languages\u2019 of the \u2018past-country\u2019. The author observes how these \u2018different Yugoslavias\u2019 are \u2018staged\u2019 and linked together on the Web, and verifies how some far-flung communities rally around the \u2018virtual re-foundation\u2019 and \u2018virtual representations\u2019 of Yugoslavia. The corpus is constituted mainly of \u2018yugonostalgic\u2019 websites that are subjected to a content analysis. The 191 websites of the corpus and the hyper-textual map of their edges are analysed using semantic features together with other tools of categorization

Peace psychology in the Balkans: in times past, present and future

This chapter provides an overview of the contributions that Peace Psychologists have made to the understanding of confl ict and peace in the Balkan region. The recent history of physical violence in Balkan nations, such as Bosnia- Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Romania, make this an important area of analysis given its potential to broaden our understanding of peace and confl ict processes world-wide. The analysis provided in this chapter is multi-directional in its consideration of past, present and future realities. Explanations for the history of confl ict in the region are identifi ed, the present realities of peace and confl ict explored and pathways to a more peaceful future proposed. The analysis is also multi-faceted considering both micro-level and macro-level factors relevant to the history and future of peace in the region. Micro-level factors, such as social norms, individual attitudes and relations to other ethnic groups, are shown to have complex interactions with macro-level factors, such as politics and economics, in predicting both peace and violence in the Balkan region. The analysis is relevant to academic disciplines as diverse as peace studies, politics and sociology, but remains fi rmly embedded within a peace psychological framework

Gender and citizenship in the context of democratisation and economic transformation in east central Europe

International Perspectives on Gender and Democratization brings together the experience of women's democratic movements in different countries and regions, North and South, and assesses how different discourses of democracy have been used by women's groups to assert women's rights. Sensitive to particular histories, ideologies, and cultural contexts, the contributors assess the strengths and the problems facing women's democratic movements as they consolidate their gains and face new challenges