Shira Sacks is studying Political Science, Women and Gender Studies, and Entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis. This semester she is studying abroad with SIT in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, and she is spending the ISP period in Belgrade, Serbia.
Hello visitors to the SIT Balkans blog! My name is Shira Sacks. I am from Millburn, NJ, and I am in my junior year at Washington University in St. Louis. For my Independent Study Project, I decided to study perceptions of European Integration of Serbia, perceptions of values in Serbia, and how individuals feel that the prospect of European Integration influences identities in Serbia and their own identities. Based in Belgrade, I interviewed ten students and young professionals, as well as six representatives of NGOs involved in human rights education and programming. Everyone that I interviewed has some college experience, some people are from Belgrade and others have come to Belgrade for university or employment, and all but one person is either in his or her twenties or early thirties.
I was attracted to studying values because of my own “identity crisis” growing up in a Zionist youth movement, and then entering the world of feminism, where proclaiming oneself as both a feminist and a Zionist seems very uncommon. Beyond the “isms,” the theories, the movements, I found myself confused by what it meant to believe in the equality of everyone—what feminism means to me—and to be nationalistic. The interactions of my values and identities instigated profound confusion, and led me to wonder how young people in Serbia are negotiating their values and identities today. In my first few months in Belgrade, I observed something hanging in the air: the prospect of European Integration for Serbia. But what does it mean for Serbia to Europeanize? What are the non-economic implications of attempting to join the European Union, and how has the process of democratization been received in Serbia? And furthermore, how does the prospect of European Integration affect individuals’ values and identities?
During my month of research, I began to comprehend the complexities of language, the problematic nature of translating, between two different cultures, discussions of values, and that many people are not used to talking about these issues. I discovered that the most important aspect of my research is that I have created a space to talk about values. Many of my interview respondents said that people in Serbia do not seem to critically reflect on the significance of European Integration of Serbia. As someone who is both non-Serbian and non-European, my interest in opening such a discussion seemed refreshing, as well as intense, for my participants.
I encountered several themes in my interviews, of fear of change, of helplessness, of defensiveness, and of a lack of education, awareness, and reflection. Many people are afraid of the change that Europeanization entails, of the increased rights that will be given to LGBT individuals that counter what some people see as traditional values, and of the prospect of feeling small in a new world order. With the lack of public awareness about Europeanization and with the economic and political instability, there are feelings of helplessness—it is the EU or nothing, in some peoples’ minds. It is difficult to critically reflect about something that feels imperative, or inevitable. Some people are still hostile towards the West because of the wars from the 1990s, and the discourse that has existed in the media and the education system since the wars have not helped people reconcile. Finally, there seems to be a lack of reflection and criticism about the non-economic implications of Serbia’s Europeanization. This may be due to a number of reasons, but one is definitely that there is an absence of thoughtful public discourse, education, and awareness of EU Integration among most members of the public. One poll from December 2010, conducted by the European Integration Office, demonstrates that only 19% of individuals report that they are informed about EU Integration.
By the time you read this post, my paper will (hopefully) be complete. I will have done additional analysis by that time, but for now, I speculate that the implications of my findings are that there is a need for people to think critically about what it means to Europeanize; without thinking about and discussing these issues, people cannot be fully engaged in the democratization and Europeanization processes. They may also feel removed from it, which is dangerous at a time when news sources are predicting high numbers of abstention in the next election. One option, which has been used in both Ireland and Slovakia, is increased education and awareness through the space of a dialogue, debate, or forum. This may be effective in challenging the dearth of knowledge and reflection of the prospect of Europeanization of Serbia, as well as the lack of exchange between people with varying opinions and ideologies. However, in order to appropriately discuss and debate these issues and questions, people need to learn more, to challenge the sound bites they have heard in the media and from their peers; a debate of these would likely lead to more polarization. Civil society organizations have programming in civic education, but these have not been successful in reaching much of the population. Ultimately, I believe that there need to be increased efforts to transform the public discourse on Europeanization, and that this requires successful civic education.
It has been an incredible experience studying this topic and living in Belgrade, and I thank World Learning for providing me with this opportunity.
Final Post: Doviđenja! (Vidimo se)
I procrastinated on this post for longer than usual. First of all, I have been doing some traveling in Europe, so I haven’t had a lot of time to sit down and reflect on my experiences this semester. But really it’s just that I haven’t wanted to acknowledge the end of the program and studying abroad in the Balkans. It was a wonderful, eye-opening, eye-shutting (as in tiring), difficult, fun, hilarious, touching, and as trite as it seems to me to write this, life-changing 15 weeks in the former Yugoslavia, and I am glad I chose to study in Belgrade this spring.
We wrapped up the program with a few gloriously sunny (well, except for when it rained) days in Palić, Serbia. Palić is in Vojvodina, the northernmost part of Serbia that borders Hungary. There is a sizeable Hungarian minority in the area, and so some signs had Hungarian, Serbian Latin, and Serbian Cyrillic words. The twelve of us students presented our ISPs, and it was great to hear from everyone about what they had worked on for the past four weeks. I felt proud of my classmates for the term; we have really gotten to know each other well, and even when sick or travel worn, we have always gotten along well too. Congratulations, guys! We did it! ISP: boom, done.
Apart from presenting our ISPs, we also presented short photo essays about the places where we spent the four weeks, which was a nice window into the ISP period. Belgrade, Sarajevo, Sanski Most, Priština/Prishtina, Mostar, and Banja Luka, – these were our final ISP locations. Thank you to everyone who helped my friends and me with our ISP research and papers! We appreciate it.
Most of the group also spent a few hours in Subotica, the nearest city to Palić, very close to the border with Hungary. I noticed quite a few bikers in Subotica, as in bicyclists, and had to jump out of the unmarked bike lane more than once! Vojvodina is very flat (and this is coming from a Midwestern girl), so it’s not hard to see why bikes are popular, especially when the weather is lovely. Plus, ice cream was cheaper than in Belgrade! There are some beautiful places in Subotica, including the former town hall.
There was also an old synagogue, very pretty but in need of repairs. Near the entrance to the property there was a sign commemorating the 4,000 Jews of Subotica who were killed in Nazi camps during World War II. I am not sure who owns that property and building now, but there was a man cutting the grass and a sign for the renovation project that I hope will occur.
After visiting Subotica, we wrapped up the program in a final seminar, each taking a turn sharing our reflections on the semester. Nikica, Nenad, and Orli shared as well. That night we had one last delicious meal at our hotel, and we left the next day for Belgrade. That was the last Friday night of the program, and we had our dinner with our host families at a restaurant on the Sava. The weather was very warm, so I liked the change from how chilly it can be at night in Sarajevo. I enjoyed the chance to meet other homestay families and introducing my host parents and siblings to my friends. I have not blogged too much about the home stay, since it is hard to determine what to share on such a public forum, and what not to post, but let me just say that I had a wonderful time with the Andrašević family, and I will miss them (already do, in fact). Thank you, Miroslav, Biljana, Ivana, and Katarina, and thank you to the other host families as well! We had a great time with you all.
After the final dinner, when we wished Nenad a happy birthday, the program really was over. I said my goodbyes to Nikica, Nenad, and Orli, which still doesn’t feel quite real, and to my fellow studenti the next night, when we all made it to our favorite bar one last time. I hate to say “last time” because I know I will be back, and because I don’t want to be too sentimental in this last post… well it’s a little late for the latter, but really, this program was so much more than just a semester spent wandering around Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo. The people I have met and the places I have visited will stay with me, and while I was already interested in the former Yugoslavia, I now feel like I can say that the region will be a part of my life in the future. What does that mean? I’m not too sure, but I’ll figure it out. This is only the beginning: of travel, of studying this complicated jezik (language), and of my time in and out of the Balkans.
Hvala lepo, to everyone on the program, to Nenad, Nikica, and Orli, to the host families, and to everyone we met or encountered while we were studying abroad in the Balkans.