Internationalism, temporality and hope: a view from Eastern Europe and the Left

Abstract

This article examines the politics of temporality and hope in relation to a political imagination generated by constituencies of an East European Left. In looking in particular at how a socialist‐inspired notion of internationalism may serve as a tool to animate future‐oriented political imaginations, the article also marks an argument for rethinking anthropological and Left historiographical practices, and to consider the affirmative valence of utopian imaginations as a form of critical action.

Expired places and forgotten people: Spatial and temporal practices of Military Homeless People in Serbia

“…Uncertainty, anxiety and sense of injustice, not only enhance the sense of being in limbo, but also potentially create an impression of a prolonged stay in the 'waiting room' among former officers of JNA and their families (Bishop, 2013). Caught in a particular situation, which might be described as 'politics of waiting' (Bandak and Manpreet, 2018), they are essentially stuck in a specific temporal regime with relevant experience, practices and hierarchy, where both time and space are constitutive social factors (Rethmann, 2015).…”

“…In a scenario, where hope is used as a vehicle for struggle and muddling through, the waiting time becomes a perspective time, which might be translated into ‘agency-in-waiting’ (Brun, 2015: 20). Thus, hope can also be seen in terms of a ‘fighting vision’ and as a strategy ‘to fight apathy and despair […] to inspire a movement capable not only of interpreting our present but of shaping our future’ (Rethmann, 2015: 481). It does not concern restoring what once was, but rather animating the ‘desire for what might be possible, of what might become’ (Rethmann, 2015: 488).…”

“…Thus, hope can also be seen in terms of a ‘fighting vision’ and as a strategy ‘to fight apathy and despair […] to inspire a movement capable not only of interpreting our present but of shaping our future’ (Rethmann, 2015: 481). It does not concern restoring what once was, but rather animating the ‘desire for what might be possible, of what might become’ (Rethmann, 2015: 488). The approach to the future on a ‘wait and see’ basis is no longer acceptable.…”

“…This involves parsing the ‘politics of waiting’ (Bandak and Manpreet, 2018), which reveals that waiting time is shaped by both, the state’s official institutions, which have ‘power over other people’s time’ (Bourdieu, 2000) and social actors, who are waiting (Auyero, 2011; Hage, 2009a; Khosravi, 2014). Consequently, waiting can be described as an ambivalent state – as passive and hopeless resignation (Crapanzano, 1986; Hage, 2009b) as well as an ‘open-ended’ activity (Bendixen and Eriksen, 2018), agency (Khosravi, 2014) and strategy ‘to fight apathy and despair’ (Rethmann, 2015: 481). Hence, waiting ‘as a category that allows people’s doubts and uncertainties to coexist with potentials of hope’ (Bandak and Manpreet, 2018: 5) becomes an essential element in my anthropological endeavour.…”

Spectral fabulations: Belgrade drag performances refashioning socialist memories

“…Over 30 years later, memories of socialist Yugoslavia loom large in Belgrade, but occupy a contested space. While local and European elites deliberately discredit and erase socialist memory, Yugoslavia still serves as inspiration to leftist groups who seek alternatives to Belgrade’s political depression – perennially stuck in transition, with little hope for change (Rethmann, 2015; Stojanović, 2017).…”