Ethnic Times - by Dusan Kecmanovic (Hardcover)

About the Book

Kecmanovic deals with the phenomenon of ethnonationalism, both as a broad, worldwide concern and as a key ingredient to the struggles in the former Yugoslavia. As in the former Yugoslavia, the rise of ethnonationalistic sentiments and attitudes coincided with the transition from a state-and party-run affair to a new, post-communist type of government and society. Drawing upon his personal experiences in Sarajevo, Kecmanovic provides a unique view of the conflict.

In a style accessible to students and general readers, he traces the transformations of leading principles, value systems, behavioral patterns, and views of people in times of severe ethnic tensions. At times nearly novelistic, the book examines epidemic ethnonationalism and individual manifestations such as violence toward members of other groups, beliefs that ethnic differences are genetic, a need to aggrandize and even manufacture differences between communities.

Book Synopsis

Kecmanovic deals with the phenomenon of ethnonationalism, both as a broad, worldwide concern and as a key ingredient to the struggles in the former Yugoslavia. As in the former Yugoslavia, the rise of ethnonationalistic sentiments and attitudes coincided with the transition from a state-and party-run affair to a new, post-communist type of government and society. Drawing upon his personal experiences in Sarajevo, Kecmanovic provides a unique view of the conflict.

In a style accessible to students and general readers, he traces the transformations of leading principles, value systems, behavioral patterns, and views of people in times of severe ethnic tensions. At times nearly novelistic, the book examines epidemic ethnonationalism and individual manifestations such as violence toward members of other groups, beliefs that ethnic differences are genetic, a need to aggrandize and even manufacture differences between communities.

Review Quotes

?[I]f seen in the context of the increasingly large literature on ethnic issues fuelling recent crises and wars, including those in the Balkans at the end of the twentieth century, Kecmanovic's publication is certainly a valuable contribution.?-Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism

?[T]his is an original and thought-provoking contribution to our understanding of nationalism and ethnic identity in Yugoslavia. A plus (or minus depending on your opinion) about Kecmanovic's work is that it stands apart from other nationalism theorists- he does not discuss or debate their conclusions, nor are they of interest to him. Quite independently, it seems, he has come at nationalism and ethnic identity from a new angle, one that is refreshing and thought-provoking....[G]et a copy from your library....It's well worth reading.?-Nations and Nationalism

"ÝI¨f seen in the context of the increasingly large literature on ethnic issues fuelling recent crises and wars, including those in the Balkans at the end of the twentieth century, Kecmanovic's publication is certainly a valuable contribution."-Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism

"ÝT¨his is an original and thought-provoking contribution to our understanding of nationalism and ethnic identity in Yugoslavia. A plus (or minus depending on your opinion) about Kecmanovic's work is that it stands apart from other nationalism theorists- he does not discuss or debate their conclusions, nor are they of interest to him. Quite independently, it seems, he has come at nationalism and ethnic identity from a new angle, one that is refreshing and thought-provoking....ÝG¨et a copy from your library....It's well worth reading."-Nations and Nationalism

"[I]f seen in the context of the increasingly large literature on ethnic issues fuelling recent crises and wars, including those in the Balkans at the end of the twentieth century, Kecmanovic's publication is certainly a valuable contribution."-Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism

"[T]his is an original and thought-provoking contribution to our understanding of nationalism and ethnic identity in Yugoslavia. A plus (or minus depending on your opinion) about Kecmanovic's work is that it stands apart from other nationalism theorists- he does not discuss or debate their conclusions, nor are they of interest to him. Quite independently, it seems, he has come at nationalism and ethnic identity from a new angle, one that is refreshing and thought-provoking....[G]et a copy from your library....It's well worth reading."-Nations and Nationalism

About the Author

DUSAN KECMANOVIC is formerly professor of psychiatry and political psychology at Sarajevo University. He has published extensively in the field of social psychiatry, social pathology, and the psychology of ethnonationalism. Among his earlier publications are The Abuse of the Mentally Ill and The Mass Psychology of Ethnonationalism. Professor Kecmanovic left the war-ridden Balkans in 1993, and he has lived in Sydney, Australia since.