Through the Window

Reviews / Votes

"The task that Keith Doubt sets for himself with this book is to rescue knowledge about common ethnic trans-cultural heritage in Bosnia Herzegovina. Relying on literary sources, earlier ethnographies, and in-depth interviews with women, the author paints a vivid and exciting picture of elopement from a gender perspective. Additional sources of information are two surveys conducted for this research. The book represents fine scholarship, given its interdisciplinary approach and complex methodology. It is a valuable contribution to gender, kinship, and folklore studies." * Slavic Review * "Through the Window is a valuable addition to scholarship on Balkan studies. Doubt's monograph is significant and meaningful. In collecting, recording, and analyzing the oral narratives Doubt has done the important work of preserving and contextualizing them for future generations. Interdisciplinary in nature, Doubt's study will be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of Balkan studies, cultural anthropology, East European literatures, ethnic studies, folklore, political science, and sociology". * Slavic and East European Journal * "Risk-taking and boundary-crossing bring benefits: in this case, an intriguing reflection on sociological theory regarding individual agency, secrecy, and the meaning of identity at different scales, from the (gendered) ego through the long-distance diaspora. I was especially engaged by Doubt's inference from the different depths of descent reckoning that Bosnian Muslim society is in fact less patriarchal in structure than either Serb Orthodox or Croat Catholic. Doubt challenges those who see radical discontinuity, chaos, or dislocation as the key tropes through which to make sense of the last half-century of Bosnia's life. Through the Window represents an important contribution to the task of reminding the world that Bosnia-Herzegovina and its creative, resilient citizens have more to contribute to social science than a case study in collective violence." * Comparative Sociology * "Through the Window is a valuable addition to scholarship on Balkan studies. Doubt's monograph is significant and meaningful. In collecting, recording, and analyzing the oral narratives Doubt has done the important work of preserving and contextualizing them for future generations. Interdisciplinary in nature, Doubt's study will be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of Balkan studies, cultural anthropology, East European literatures, ethnic studies, folklore, political science, and sociology". * Slavic and East European Journal *