Culture of Power in Serbia: Nationalism and the Destruction of Alternatives
- Book Review,
by Eric D. Gordy
Laura Secor, Lingua Franca Magazine, November 1999
Against the sanctimoniousness of the voyeurs and the determinists, Gordy poses a complex portrait of a shattered society. It is not that Serbs have offered no esistance to the politics of nationalist authoritarianism. Rather, the political and cultural resistance some Serbs have mustered has been suffocated by the regime's strong-arm tactics, as well as by international isolation, a twilight-zone economy, and a reckless and unprincipled political opposition. [....] Gordy has found a great wealth of material, and his analysis is not only shrewd but scrupulously nuanced. Gordy's Belgrade is perhaps best described by a rock critic who reviews a concert delayed for hours by one of the city's frequent blackouts: "We are here and now, things do not come easily for us, but that is the way it is. Belgrade is a dark forest with no end. You are in it. Pay attention to yourself and to those near you because all kinds of things happen in the dark."
From the Publisher
A study of the political culture of Milosevic's Serbia. How does the regime of Slobodan Milosevic and his Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) remain in power? Since legitimizing its power in 1990, the SPS has never received a majority of votes in an election. Furthermore, it has been defeated in three military conflicts, produced more than 500,000 refugees, presided over the most extreme hyperinflation in modern times, and failed in its original defining promise to see "all Serbs in one state." In The Culture of Power in Serbia, Eric Gordy explores how the Milosevic government prolongs its tenure despite failures and setbacks that would have brought down most other regimes. Gordy finds the answer in everyday life. The Milosevic regime has largely succeeded in making alternatives to its rule unavailable. By controlling key aspects of daily life, including politics, media, and popular music, it has undermined opposition by closing off alternative voices. The result is an atmosphere in which people feel they have lost control over their private life and cultural environment. Nevertheless, Gordy finds reason to be optimistic about the long-term prospects for Serbia. The regime's forays into popular music have largely failed, and it has had only partial success in controlling the media, suggesting that the present strategy will not work forever. In Gordy's judgment, the Milosevic regime has a limited future. The Culture of Power in Serbia provides fresh perspective for readers interested in contemporary Eastern Europe, in the strategies and tactics of authoritarian regimes, in the sociology of everyday life, and in the political potential of culture.
From the Inside Flap
"For this nonspecialist, Eric Gordy's book on Milosevic's Serbia is as eye-opening as it is pithy. With sophistication and wit, Gordy clarifies how the nationalist authoritarian regime took hold: its ability to capitalize on hyperinflation, (so far) to outfox and outlast opponents, to do what the Supreme Leader wanted done in the face of public demoralization and withdrawal. All serious readers have something to learn from this well-written account of the triumph of aggression, slippery politics, and banality in Serbia." --Todd Gitlin, New York University "Professor Gordy's book may be the most insightful work yet published on contemporary Serbian politics and culture. It is must reading for anyone wishing to better understand the nature of the Milosevic regime and its sources of support." --Paul Shoup, University of Virginia
About the Author
Eric Gordy is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Clark University.
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