Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T05:21:49.689Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cutting the mists of the Black Mountain: Cleavages in Montenegro's divide over statehood and identity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Jelena Dzankic
Jelena Dzankic*
Affiliation:
European University Institute, Florence, Italy
*
∗Email: dzankic@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The two decades of Montenegro's transition that followed the disintegration of Yugoslavia were marked by the transformation of the ambitions of the ruling political elites, which pushed the republic that once sought to be a member in a federal state towards independence. The shift in the agendas of the political elites also changed the meaning of the notions of “Montenegrin” and “Serb”. Hence, this paper looks at the cleavages that emerged during Montenegro's divide over statehood and identity. It asserts that elite competition in unconsolidated states prompts the emergence of ethno-cultural cleavages, which are necessary for establishing the identities of political elites and of their followers. The study first identifies the critical junctures for the emergence of functional and structural cleavages in Montenegro and associates these cleavages with the changing political context. It proceeds with an analysis of ethno-cultural cleavages, arguing that these emerged from the politicization of historical narratives. The study concludes by arguing that different types of cleavages supported the division over statehood and identity, and that as a result of the changes in identity in Montenegro, the political reinforcement of overlapping cleavages was essential in order to cement the ethno-cultural identities of the two camps.

Keywords

MontenegrinSerbidentitycleavageethno-cultural
Type
Articles
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 41 , Issue 3: Special Issue: Europeanization, State-Building and Democratization in the Western Balkans , May 2013 , pp. 412 - 430
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, Benedict. 1991. Imagined Communities. London: Verso.Google Scholar
Andrijašević, Živko. 1998. Crnogorske Teme. Podgorica: Istorijski institut.Google Scholar
Živko, Andrijašević. 2004. Nacija s greškom. Cetinje: Đurđe Crnojević.Google Scholar
Bartolini, Stefano. 2005. Restructuring Europe. Centre formation, system building and political structuring between the nation-state and the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bieber, Florian. 2003. “Montenegrin politics since the disintegration of Yugoslavia.” In Montenegro in Transition: Problems of Identity and Statehood, edited by Biebar, Florian, 11–42. Baden-Baden: Nomos.Google Scholar
Boehm, Christopher. 1983. Montenegrin Social Organization and Values: Political Ethnography of a Refugee Area Tribal Adaptation. New York: AMS Press.Google Scholar
Bulalović, Momir. 2005. Pravila cutanja. Niš: Zograf.Google Scholar
Calhoun, Steven. 2000. “Montenegro's Tribal Legacy.” Military Review 80 (4): 32–40.Google Scholar
Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM). 2005. Public Opinion in Montenegro: December 2005. Podgorica: CEDEM.Google Scholar
Centar za Demokratsku Tranziciju (CDT). 2001. Official results: Parliamentary Elections, 22 April 2001. http://www.cdtmn.org/dokumenti/zvanicni-rczultati-parlamentarni-izbori-2001.pdf Google Scholar
Centar za Demokratsku Tranziciju (CDT). 2002. Official results: Parliamentary Elections, 20 October 2002. http://www.cdtmn.org/dokumenti/zvanicni-rezultati-parlarnentarni-izbori-2002.pdf Google Scholar
Centar za Demokratsku Tranziciju (CDT). 2006. Referendum 21/05/2006 (23 May 2006). http://www.cdtmn.org/izbori/referendum06.php Google Scholar
Darmanović, Srđan. 1992. “Montenegro: Destiny of a Satellite State.” Eastern European Reporter 27 (March-April): 27–29.Google Scholar
Douglas, Mary. 1975. Implicit Meanings. London: Penguin.Google Scholar
Milovan, Đilas. 1947. “O crnogorskom nacionalnom pitanju.” Članci 1941–1946, Beograd: Kultura.Google Scholar
Đurković, Miša. 2007. “Montenegro: Headed for New Divisions.” Conflict Studies Research Centre 07/09 (Swindon: Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, March): 1–14.Google Scholar
Enyedi, Zsolt. 2006. “Party politics in post-communist transition.” In Handbook of Party Politics, edited by Katz, R. S. and Crotty, W., 228–238. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Federal Statistical Office. Population Census 1981, 1991. 1992. Belgrade: FZS.Google Scholar
Gellner, Ernest. 1994. Encounters with Nationalism. Oxford, UK and Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Hobsbawm, Eric, and Ranger, Terence. 1983. The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Hodson, Randy, Sekulic, Duško, and Massey, Garth. 1994. “National Tolerance in Yugoslavia.” American Journal of Sociology 99 (6): 1534–1558.Google Scholar
International Crisis Group. 2000. Montenegro: In the Shadow of the Volcano. Balkans report 89 (21 March).Google Scholar
Jovanovic, Borislav. 2005. Crnogorski književni urbanitet. Cetinje: Durfte Crnojević.Google Scholar
Jovanović, Jagoš. 1995. Istorija Crne Gore Cetinje: Izdavacki Centar.Google Scholar
Krastev, Ivan, and Mungiu-Pippidi, Alina, eds. 2004. Nationalism after Communism. Budapest: CEU Press.Google Scholar
Kubo, Keiichi. 2007. “The issue of Independence and Ethnic Identity in Montenegro.” Southeastern Europe 32 (1): 163–180.Google Scholar
Lipset, Seymour, and Rokkan, Stein. 1967. Party Systems and Voter Alignments. New York and London: The Free Press-Collier-Macmillan.Google Scholar
Mair, Peter. 2001. “The freezing hypothesis. An evaluation.” In Party Systems and Voter Alignments Revisited, edited by Karvonen, L. and Kulinle, S., 27–44. London and New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Marković, Vlado, and Pajović, Radoje. 1996. Saradnja Ćetnika sa okupatorom u Crnoj Gori: dokumenti 1941–1945. Podgorica & Cetinje: Republicki Odbor SUBNOR-a Crne Gore.Google Scholar
Martin, Pierre. 2000. Comprendre les évolutions électorales. La théorie des réalignements revisitée. Paris: Presses de Sciences Po.Google Scholar
van Meurs, Wim. 2003. “The Belgrade Agreement: Robust Mediation between Serbia and Montenegro”. In Montenegro in Transition: Problems of Identity and Statehood, edited by Bieber, Florian, 63–82. Baden-Baden: Nomos.Google Scholar
Milošević, Milena. 2012. “Fate Of Montenegro's State Symbols in Balance.” Balkan Insight (26 April). http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/fate-of-montenegro-s-symbols-still-uncertain.Google Scholar
Morrison, Kenneth. 2009a. Montenegro: A Modern History. London: IB Taurus & Co.Google Scholar
Morrison, Kenneth. 2009b. “The Political Life of Milo Djukanovic.” Journal of Southeast European Studies I: 25–54.Google Scholar
Pavlović, Srđa. 2003. “Who are Montenegrins? Statehood, identity and civic society.” In Montenegro in Transition: Problems of Identity and Statehood, edited by Bieber, Florian, 83–106. Baden-Baden: Nomos.Google Scholar
Popović, Milan. 2002. Montenegrin Mirror: Polity in Turmoil 1991–2001. Podgorica: Nansen Dijalog Centar.Google Scholar
Radojević, Danilo. 1989. “Etničke odrednice jezika- Nazi v nije neutralan.” Vjesnik, 14999 (Zagreb: Vjesnik).Google Scholar
Radonjic, Radovan. 1998. Tranzicije. Podgorica: CID.Google Scholar
Ramet, Sabrina. 2005. “The Politics of the Serbian Orthodox Church.” In Serbia since 1989, edited by Ramet, Sabrina P. and Pavlaković, Vjeran, 255–285. Seattle and London: U of Washington P.Google Scholar
Kastoder, Šerbo. 2003. “A Short Review of the History of Montenegro.” lu Montenegro in Transition: Problems oj Identity and Statehood, edited by Bieber, Florian, 107–138. Baden-Baden: Nomos.Google Scholar
Roberts, Elizabeth. 2007. Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Rokkan, Stein. 1970. Citizens, Elections, Parties. Approaches to the Comparative Study of the Processes of Development. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.Google Scholar
Rokkan, Stein. 1999. State Formation, Nation-Building, and Mass Politics in Europe: The Theory of Stein Rokkan. Based on His Collected Works, edited by Flora, Peter with Kuhnle, Stein and Urwin, Derek Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Santoro, Lara. 1999. “From Baptism to Politics, Montenegrins Fight for Identity.” Christian Science Monitor 91/103 (23 April): 7–9.Google Scholar
Shoup, Paul. 1968. Communism and the National Question in Yugoslavia. New York and London: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Simić, Andrei. 1997. “Montenegro: Beyond the Myth.” In Crises in the Balkans: Views from the Participants, edited by Danopoulos, Constantine P. and Messas, Kostas, 113–134. London & Colorado: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Sinfield, Alan. 1992. Faultlines: Cultural Materialism and the Politics of Dissident Reading. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Strmiska, Maximilian. 2005. “The Making of Party Pluralism in Montenegro.” Conflict Prevention, 2005. http://www.conflict-prevention.net/search Google Scholar
“Ustav Republike Crne Gore”. 1992. Službeni List Republike Crne Gore 48/92. Podgorica: Službeni List. [“Constitution of the Republic of Montenegro”. Official Gazette of the Republic of Montenegro 48/92].Google Scholar
“Ustav Crne Gore”. 2007. Službeni List Crne Gore 1/07. Podgorica: Službeni List. [“Constitution of Montenegro”. Official Gazette of Montenegro 1/07].Google Scholar
Vujanović, Filip. 2011. “Vujanović: Državna himna ne zbližava već odvaja ljude.” Vijesti Online, (30 September). http://www.vijesti.me/vijesti/vujanovic-drzavna-himna-ne-zblizava-vec-odvaja-ljude-clanak-40300 Google Scholar
White, George. 2000. Nationalism and Territory. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefied Press.Google Scholar
Zavod za Statistiku Crne Gore. 2003. 2003 Population Census of Montenegro. http://www.monstat.cg.yu/Popis.htm Google Scholar
Gore, Zavod za Statistiku Crne. 2011. 2011 Population Census of Montenegro. http://www.monstat.cg.yu/Popis.htm Google Scholar
Zielinski, Jakub. 2002. “Translating Social Cleavages Into Party Systems: The Significance of New Democracies.” World Politics 54 (2): 184–211.Google Scholar