Publisher's Synopsis
"Burn This House" is the first book in English to represent the critical, non-nationalist voices inside the former Yugoslavia. Written primarily by Muslim, Croatian, and Serbian journalists and historians, this collection relies on the perspective of the people who live there to portray the chain of events that have led to the current genocidal wars in the heart of Europe. These essays elucidate the Balkan tragedy while directing attention toward the antiwar movement and the work of the independent media that has been largely ignored by the U.S. press. They show that, contrary to descriptions by the Western media, the roots of the warring lie not in ancient Balkan hatreds but rather in a specific set of socio-political circumstances that occurred after the death of Tito and culminated at the end of the Cold War. In bringing together these essays, Serbian-born sociologist Jasminka Udovicki and Village Voice Washington correspondent James Ridgeway provide essential historical background for understanding the recent turmoil in Croatia and Bosnia and expose the catalytic role played by the propaganda of a powerful few on both sides of what eventually became labeled an ethnic dispute.;In her introduction, Udovicki terms the most persuasive vehicle of such communications "ethno-kitsch" and describes such instances as the "turbo-folk-rock" that flooded the airwaves in the mid-1980s and the slogans chanted by fans of favourite national football clubs. The chapters that follow illuminate the sociological complexity and unique conditions that underlie the continuing tragedy of the former Yugoslavia. A poignant and informative explication of the Balkan tragedy by journalists and academics with firsthand knowledge of the subtle dynamics involved, "Burn This House" will educate political scientists, European historians, and all those interested in international affairs.
