The production of the war criminal cult: Radovan Karadžić and Vojislav Šešelj at The Hague

Steflja, Izabela

doi:10.1080/00905992.2017.1354365

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Studies in this field highlight that perceiving an enemy or menace (rightly or wrongly) can lead to groupthink. The performative discourse of elites fomenting ethnic strife or war for political or personal gain can contribute to fostering this feeling of threat among the general public (Brubaker, 2002;Steflja, 2018). We consequently see a parallel with our analysis of the interrelationship between group identity, staunch support for the right to bear arms, and the conviction that patriots must defend America from "tyranny," "big government," "socialism," and beyond.…”

Section: The Symbolic Dimensions Of Gunsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Guns, identity, and nationhood

Jouet

2019

Palgrave Commun

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The article provides a theoretical perspective on the symbolic meaning of the right to bear arms in modern America, especially among its conservative movement. Neglecting this issue, scholarship on gun symbolism has commonly focused on guns possessed by offenders in inner-cities, such as juveniles or gang members. Offering a multidisciplinary and comparative outlook, the article explains how guns have become symbols of a worldview under which armed patriots must stand ready to defend America from "tyranny," "big government," "socialism," and other existential threats. In particular, the U.S. conservative movement does not merely perceive the right to bear arms as a means of selfdefense against criminals, but as a safeguard against an oppressive government that "patriots" may have to overthrow by force. The article examines the hypothesis that guns foster a sense of belonging in this conception of nationhood. This worldview is not solely limited to politicians, elites, or activists, as it can encompass rank-and-file conservatives. Group identification can rest on sharing radical beliefs that enhance cohesion, including rallying against perceived threats. This mindset helps explain resistance to elementary reforms to regulate firearms. If one believes that an unbridled right to bear arms is not only key to protecting the United States, but also key to what it means to be an American, concessions on gun control become difficult to envision. While conservatives in other Western democracies tend to support significant gun control, a key dimension of American exceptionalism is the relative normalization of a conservative identity in which firearms have acquired a peculiar symbolic value.

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Section: The Symbolic Dimensions Of Gunsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Guns, identity, and nationhood

Jouet

2019

Palgrave Commun

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“…The undisputed champion of this discipline, however, is Š ešelj (2005a, 2005b, 2006, 2009a, 2011), whose staggering 63 volumes include both trial transcripts, selected documents, and random personal reflections almost invariably published under offensive or grotesque titles such as A Suit against Prosecution and False Witnesses of The Hague Tribunal, The Chetnik Vojvoda in Front of The Hague Tribunal, The European Union is Satan's Creation, A Banana for Kofi Annan, and The Sex Maniac of Washington Bill Clinton. Such approach is in line with Š ešelj's scandalous defense strategy, aimed to delegitimize the proceedings and mobilize the Serbian public around his case (Steflja, 2017). To that end, he also maintains Internet visibility through video clips, which enjoy unusual popularity in Serbia.…”

Section: The Work: Tales To Tellmentioning

confidence: 80%

The ICTY Library

Petrović

2018

International Criminal Justice Review

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The purpose of this contribution is to shed light on the literary output of persons indicted or sentenced for war crimes in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Over one hundred books—autobiographies, studies, collections of documents, and even novels and poetry have been generated by no less than 22 persons in the detention unit of the ICTY in The Hague since 1993. Although some of these works did cause an occasional stir, as of yet there is no detailed overview of the entirety of this literary output. In order to fill this gap, this article assembles a full collection of works produced by ICTY inmates and analyzes this genre, the motivations of its authors, and the implications of their work. Examined as sources, these works can be used to study the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, the work of the ICTY, and its perception by the accused. I conclude by examining the corrosive role these works play in the process of coming to terms with the troubled past of the region.

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“…Transitional justice initiatives remain controversial in the region. States see verdicts against their own ethnicity as a condemnation of their state and nation building projects (see, for example, Pavlaković, 2010); war veterans are highly influential and opposed to many facets of the process (see, for example, Fisher, 2003); local publics generally reject the process (see, for example, Subotić, 2009); and nationalist politicians have also been able to hijack the process in order to use their appearances in trials as pulpits for their politics (see, for example, Steflja, 2018).…”

Section: Methods and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Claims to ignorance as a form of participation in transitional justice

Sokolić¹

2022

Cooperation and Conflict

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Transitional justice is premised on participation that allows local publics to construct, critique and have some ownership over the process. The current scholarship assumes that individuals openly express their views of the process, or that they remain silent. The scholarship has neglected a third, significant form of participation: active withholding of views by saying ‘I don’t know’. This article examines such claims to ignorance and argues that they can provide insight into participation. While both qualitative and quantitative researchers of transitional justice have observed a pervasive pattern of high ‘don’t know’ responses, such claims to ignorance have not been studied. This article develops a theoretical framework that shows that ‘don’t know’ responses are a valuable source of information and argues that they are often an expression of a lack of willingness to respond, rather than genuine ignorance. Drawing on an original corpus of data collected through inter-ethnic focus groups and surveys conducted in four former Yugoslav countries, the study demonstrates how claims to ignorance are constructed as novel manifestations of resistance, restraint or disentitlement. These point to a rejection of transitional justice, which needs to be addressed if individuals are to feel like legitimate participants in the process.

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The production of the war criminal cult: Radovan Karadžić and Vojislav Šešelj at The Hague

Cited by 14 publications

References 18 publications

Guns, identity, and nationhood

Guns, identity, and nationhood

The ICTY Library

Claims to ignorance as a form of participation in transitional justice

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