Issues

CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICAL CULTURE IN TRANSITIONAL PROCESSES

– Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia -

1. The Concept of Civil Society in a Contemporary Context
    

2. Case of Central and South - Eastern Europe
    

3. Case of Ex-Yugoslavia, its Violent Break-Up and Post-Communist Authoritarianism
    

4. The Role of Religions in the Wars 1991 – 1999 vs. Religious Toleration
    

5. Truth, Responsibility, Guilt
    

6. State and Civil Society Re-visited: How Can Civil Society Contribute to the Establishment of Democratic Statehood
    

7. Rule of Law and Civil Society – Civil Society, Constitutionalism, and Legitimacy
    

8. Judiciary, Corruption and Civil Society
    

9. Interplay Between Political Culture and Civil Society – The Case of Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia (Authoritarian heritage as an obstacle)
    

10. Nationalism/Populism vs. Civic Option
     

11. Political Society vs. Civil Society: On The Relation Between Political Parties and Actors in Civil Society
     

12. Human Rights and Civil Society
     

General remarks

The project CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICAL CULTURE IN TRANSITIONAL PROCESSES – Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, represents the second phase of the project called INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK, SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION AND POLITICAL CULTURE IN SERBIA, MONTENEGRO, AND CROATIA. The first phase was recently concluded by publishing of the book: Between Authoritarianism and Democracy – Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia: INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK. The second phase will be also finished by publishing the book: Between Authoritarianism and Democracy: Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia - CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICAL CULTURE.

This project represents the first multidisciplinary and inter-regional undertaking of  comprehensive comparative analysis of the position and the role of civil society and political culture in these countries, i.e. analysis of the obstacles and perspectives for the civil society development. This research will consider the legal and political framework of civil society undergoing transition.

This project has academic, theoretical and empirical importance. It will stimulate development of the civil society in the Balkans, help in establishment of professional and human contacts between professionals and young intellectuals in the region, stipulate processes of facing the violent past and finding the paths of reconciliation. It will try to strengthen the actual and potential social forces which will disable retrograde processes of authoritarianism and ethno nationalism, and stimulate the processes of European integration in the region. It generates development of the civil society in the region and also stimulates networking of intellectual elites, which are wilful and ready to face the problems of the recent tragic and violent past and to discover new paths of cooperation. It should also generate peaceful cohabitation and democratic consolidation in each of these countries as well as in their mutual relations.

The project itself represents an important example of intellectual and political networking as well as development of the civil society in the region. It demonstrates the possibility of civilized and friendly relations and communication.

In the context of comparative analysis of obstacles and perspectives for civil society development in these countries, there will also be analyzed the causes of the violent break-up of  the former Yugoslavia, connected with the deficits in development of the civil society and democratic deficits in general.

The question of democratic deficit is the one that has demanded the detailed elaboration in the second phase of the project. Namely, on the basis of explaining the factors and the cultural context of nationalistic mobilization and homogenization of the peoples in the countries in this region, there will be articulated theoretical and practical policy making presuppositions of the longterm strategy for preventing new challenges of antidemocratic populism and totalitarianism.

The young professionals with university education in social sciences and humanities from Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia take a very active part in this project. Their most important contribution has been in organizing seminars and workshops concerned with the relevant topics from the field.  Their involvement into seminars and workshops should stimulate them to deepen and widen the knowledge about the past, present and future development of the referent states and societies. Critical debates and open discussions would stimulate them to accept the values of liberal-democratic governance, of a political culture based on tolerance and mutual respect, of equal participation of women and men in civic, economic and political life, of the world peace, peace in the Balkans and European integration. Common participation of the young intellectuals from Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro will stimulate mutual understanding, friendship, and civilized relations between the representatives of the future professional and political leaders from these countries.

These discussion groups will contribute to publishing the book: Between Authoritarianism and Democracy: Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia - CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICAL CULTURE

For more information about the discussion groups see the following detailed list of themes and responsible researchers. See also more details about the students’ seminars and workshops.

 

CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICAL CULTURE IN TRANSITIONAL PROCESSES  - SERBIA, MONTENEGRO, CROATIA

 

I MEANING AND ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION FROM SOCIALISM

INTRODUCTION – The Concept of Civil Society in a Contemporary Context

Responsible researcher - Dragica Vujadinović

1. Case of Central and South-Eastern Europe

1.1.  Civil Society in 'Real-Existing Socialism': History of a Concept

1.2 Role of Civil Society in the Break-Down of the Old Regime

1.3 Civil Society After the Regime Change: Crisis of the Old Concept and Search for an Alternative

Responsible researcher – Nenad Dimitrijević

2. Case of Ex-Yugoslavia, its Violent Break-Up and Post-Communist Authoritarianism

2.1. Civil Society in Times of Yugoslav Socialism

Deficit of Civil Society in Comparison with Hungary, Poland, Checkoslovakia

2.2 - Deficit of Civil Society Development and its Impact on the Break-up Through Wars

2.2.1.  -  Specific Case of Slovenia and its Influence at the Former Yugoslavia in 80`s

2.3. Fear, Violence, Wars – Obstacles for Civil Society Development

2.4. Civil Society vs. Post-Communist Authoritarianism – The Case of Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia

2.4.1. Role of Civil Society in the Break-Down of  Milošević's and Tuđman's Regimes

Responsible researchers:
Serbia and Montenegro – Milan Podunavac
Croatia – Lino Veljak

3. The Role of Religions in the Wars 1991 – 1999 vs. Religious Toleration

Responsible researchers:
Croatia – Srđan Vrcan
Montenegro – Šerbo Rastoder
Serbia – Mirko Đorđević, Olga Popović - Obradović

4. Truth, Responsibility, Guilt

Responsible researcher – Žarko Puhovski

 

II  LEGAL AND POLITICAL FRAMEWORK OF CIVIL SOCIETY

1. State and Civil Society Re-visited: How Can Civil Society Contribute to the Establishment of Democratic Statehood

Responsible researchers:
Serbia and Montenegro– Vukašin Pavlović
Croatia – Rade Kalanj

2. Rule of Law and Civil Society – Civil Society, Constitutionalism, and Legitimacy

Responsible researchers:
Serbia and Montenegro – Vučina Vasović
Croatia –  Arsen Bačić

3. Corruption and Criminalization as Obstacles for Civil Society Development

3.1. Corruption in Judicial and Executive Power, Dependent Judiciary, Legal Insecurity – Consequences for Civil Society Development

Responsible researchers:
Serbia and Montenegro – Vesna Rakić Vodinelić
Croatia – Alan Uzelac, Zoran Malenica

4. Interplay Between Political Culture and Civil Society – The Case of Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia

4. 1. The Paternalistic (or: authoritarian) Heritage as an Obstacle to the Development of Civil Society

Responsable researchers:
Serbia and Montengro – Dragan Pantić, Zagorka Golubović
Croatia – Ivan Šiber

4. 2. Nationalism/Populism vs. Civic Option

Responsible researchers:
Serbia  and Montenegro - Alpar Lošonc, Božidar Jakšić
Croatia – Nenad Miščević, Srđan Vrcan
Montenegro –  Miloš Bešić

5. Political Society vs. Civil Society: On The Relation Between Political Parties and Actors in Civil Society

5.1. Strategies and Practice of Civil Society Impact

Responsible researchers:
Croatia – Srđan Dvornik
Montenegro – Srđan Darmanović
Serbia – Vladimir Goati, Zoran Stoiljković

6.  Human Rights and Civil Society

Responsible researchers:
Serbia – Vojin Dimitrijevic
Montenegro – Nebojša Vučinić
Croatia - Miomir Matulović

 

Students

This is the separate part of the programme developed by students participating in the Conference.

1. Students' Debate: »Croatia and the Balkans – Does Croatia Belong to the Balkans?«

Which are geographical, historical and social-political characteristics of the Balkans?  Does Croatia belong to the framework of the political context of the Western Balkans and its integration in the EU? (Debate is organized in a way that first group of participants defends the position that Croatia is a part of the Balkans and second group that Croatia is not a part of the Balkans.)

2. Students' Workshop: »States of ex-Yugoslavia and Idea of Nationalism: Comparative Analysis of Development of Idea in Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro at the end of 20th century«

The main idea of this workshop is to present and discuss causes and consequences of nationalism in the countries of ex-Yugoslavia.

Responsible students: Drazen  Puljic i Vladimir Pavicevic

3. Students' Simulation: »European Future of the Western Balkans – Negotiations of the Representatives of Three States on Possible Joint Preparations for the Accesion to the European Union«

Having in mind that there are certain proposals that states of the western Balkans should create common policy toward the EU, our simulation should show in which directions possible negotiations regarding the creation of the common policy might develope.

The result of this simulation can be some kind of agreement between representatives of three states, but it is also possible that simulation will show that such agreement is not achievable. It is necessary to have one representative out of each state (Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro), which will represent an official positions of their respective governments.

The simulation will also involve the role of High Representative for the Foreign Policy (HR CFSP) who will represent the position of the EU.

Some actors will be given certain secret tasks, which they will have to fulfil during negotiations.

Responsible students: Damir Davidovic and Nenad Koprivica

4. Students' Debate: “Security or Freedom - What Comes first: State Security or Basic Human Rights.«

The idea of this debate is to show to what extent global terrorism diminishes human rights and to what level those categories are interdependent. The first group will defend position that state security is a priority and second group will argue that this priority should never be practiced on the expense of basic human rights. During this debate, it will be most appropriate to focus on current developments in the US.

5. Students' Workshop: »Late Transition: Private Property and Role of Courts«

The main goal of this workshop is to discuss wheather the private property is a precondition for democratisation of a society. Key subtopics are: process of denationalisation and how it is being run; role of civil society in post-communist redistribution of state property; role of judiciary; problem of corruption and rule of law as a necessary precondition for smooth running of this process and current situation regarding those issues in Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro.

Responsible student: Aleksandra Nedeljkovic