Civic and Uncivic Values

Reviews / Votes

"The overall thesis of the book is straightforward: unless Serbia moves from the uncivic values which still dominate public space and discourse, toward civic values, the prospects for democratic consolidation and liberal democracy in Serbia remains dim. The system of uncivic values, which flourished under the ancien regime (under Milosevic), nationalism, irredintism, chauvinism, is still well and alive after 12 years of transition in Serbia. All things considered, this is well written and well researearched volume which can be read by wider audience, becond just academic community" * South Slav Journal * "The volume is largely successful in offering a useful guide to "the struggle for values in Serbia". It is admirable that it includes contributions by those who are in a sense fighting in the very trenches of Serbian politics, but if the main utility of such volumes is in providing a useful map of the struggle, then the "view from the trenches" might not be too useful. A number of contributors in this volume tend to vacillate between outlining and analyzing, on the one hand, and anguished lamenting on the other. This reviewer tends to share their values and condemn the same enemies but finds the more judgmental chapters less useful for navigating the battlefi eld than the chapters that try to abstain from overt judgments. The best are those that are both in the trenches and able to rise above them for a more synoptic survey of the battlefield. A number of contributors do that admirably. Even better, when such a trench-fighter as Colovic analyzes his own ironic distance we get a welcome breather-a glimpse of Serbia not only as a seething pit of uncivic values, a quagmire of stubborn antimodernism, but as a place where there is even laughter." * Slavic Review * "The contributors to this volume demonstrate how traditional, provincial and nationalist values, referred to as uncivic, still obstruct the European aspirations of the biggest republic of the former Yugoslavia. In that respect, the authors adopt an analytical approach to examine the impact of civic and uncivic values in a variety of Serbian societal and political contexts... It seems reasonable to assume that the book will be of interest to an audience beyond just academia. I most warmly recommend this volume as an extremely useful and engaging addition to the literature in the field." * International Affairs *