1	Denich, Bette, Dismembering Yugoslavia: Nationalist Ideologies and the Symbolic Revival of Genocide. Florian Bieber, Nationalist Mobilization and Stories of Serb Suffering: The Kosovo myth from 600th anniversary to the present.
2	Bieber, The Kosovo myth Battle of Kosovo and St. vitus’s Day (Vidovdan) – 28 June 1389
3	Key events occur on that date 1914 – Bosnian Serb student assassinates Archduke Franz Ferdinand à WWI 1921 – Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes – Constitution received, with Serb dominance 1948 – Stalin expels Yugoslavia from the Comintern 1991 – Wars of Yugoslavian Independence begin a few days earlier 2001 Slobodan Milosevic surrenders to International War Crimes Tribunal
4	Relationship of myth to Serb nationalism Part of commemorative calendar of the nation Mythic claim to Kosovo Establishes mythical continuity between contemporary Serb nation and the “Serbs” of the Middle Ages
5	The myth as recounted in 1990s Decisive battle with the Ottomans, Vidovan 1389 Defeat entailed Serb leader Knez Lazar Hreblijanovic choosing the establishment of a Heavenly vs. Earthly kingdom Ottoman Sultan Murad killed by pretended traitor Obilic or Kobelic, who joined the Ottoman army and martyred himself killing Sultan Murad. Actual traitor Vuk Brankovic contributed to Serb defeat.
6	Elements of myth Celebrates defeat with concomitant victory in heaven Kingdom of Heaven v. Kingdom on Earth – power of Orthodox Church Martyr (self-sacrificing hero) v. traitor Christian – Moslem “eternal” conflict
7	Myths are historical Have basis in real past events Evoke the past for relevant audiences Myths have their own history “they have been a crucial element in the intellectual development of nations throughout the centuries and have consequently undergone historical evolution and adaptation to new circumstances.” 97
8	Myths are anti-historical Nationalist ideology “has displaced historical and linear temporal conceptions and instead stopped time and ‘transformed it into the eternal present or the eternal return of the same’” (citing Colovic 1994a:91) [97] (‘Kosovo is not some imaginary legend of the past, but a real historical destiny that continues today’ (Bogdanovic 1986:286) [100] [underline added] Contemporize the past Historicize the present [98] Significance shifts at different periods Facticity largely unimportant – democratic? Genocidal? Claim eternal truth: “Nations have their metaphysical core … The Kosovo orientation is not [only] a national idea, but also a trait of character which makes a Serb a Serb. [citing Samardzic 1991:14) [98]
9	History of the myth Century after the event Modern form emerged in 17th & 18th centuries Written variants – mid-18th, early 19th centuries, with Serb national movement Important role in political development of Serbia: late 19th century Marked formal end of Ottoman rule – 1889 1892 – Serbian Orthodox Church recognized the date of the battle as official religious holiday [99] 1912: Kosovo “liberated” during Balkin Wars. – legitimacy of ruling dynasty 1939 – attempt to make it pan-Slav
10	History of the myth Post-WWII – declined in significance re. Communist partisans 1981 – Kosovo Albanians protest status of full republic à emigration of Serbs and Montenegrins from the province. Serbian Orthodox Church defenders of Serb national identity in Kosovo. Revival of narrative of Serb persecution at the hand of Moslems. Rising Serb nationalism. 100 1988 – integral part of increased Serb nationalist mobilization – Demand protection of Serb population in Kosovo. Important in Milosevic’s rise to power. 1989 – 600th anniversary of battle of Kosovo celebrated, just outside Pristina. Organized by the Serbian League of Communists, with high-ranking members of the party from the other republics and the Turkish ambassador to Yugoslavia attending. 101
11	History of the myth 1989 – 600th anniversary of battle of Kosovo celebrated, just outside Pristina. Organized by the Serbian League of Communists, with high-ranking members of the party from the other republics and the Turkish ambassador to Yugoslavia attending. 101 Serbs move to enhance power and dominance in Yugoslavia under Milosevic’s leadership thro Constitutional changes. 101 Note contested nature of the merging of Albanians with Ottomans – Montenegrins protest, noting participation of Albanians and other Balkan nations in the battle on the Serbian side. Myth identifies Milosovic with 14th century Serbian martyr Knez Lazar Milosovic used myth to identify Albanians as enemy Milosovic used myth to identify Montenegrin and Vojvodina Serb leaders as traitors. 102
12	History of the myth 1989 – Serbia erases Kosovo’s independence Narrative becomes hegemonic 1991-92 – war with Croatia and Bosnia. Socialists try to steer middle course between Yugoslavia anti-nationalists and radical nationalists à predominance of WWII events – Ustasa regime by Croats 1994 – Radovan Karadzic –Bosnia – Serb Democratic Party – either patriot or traitor – 1994-98 the ruling party did not easily use Kosovo myth Serb Orthodox Church used it more
13	History of the myth 1998 – Kosovo conflict – myth revived fully 1999 spring – bombardment by NATO of Serbia à discourse of victimization Kosovo lost after war à charges of “betrayal” by Milosovic Serbs leave Possibility for renewed cycle – 1389/1999
14	Bieber’s central claim As Liah Greenfeld has pointed out ‘ressentiment not only makes the nation more aggressive, but represents an unusually powerful stimulus of national sentiment and collective action, which makes it easier to mobilize collectivistic nations for aggressive warfare than to mobilize individualistic nations, in which national commitment is normally dependent on rational calculations’ (Greenfeld 1992: 488). 107
15	Denich, Bette, Dismembering Yugoslavia: Nationalist Ideologies and the Symbolic Revival of Genocide. Play Pigeon Cave Peasant life in Dalmatian village in Krajina
16	Krajina Orthodox Christian Serbs Roman Catholic Croats Serbs massacred by Croats during WWII
17	"Fierce fighting in mid-October 1991..." Fierce fighting in mid-October 1991 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0iroka_Kula_massacre Now commemorated as site of Serb atrocity against Croats