Yugo-Nostalgia and its Manifestations

Vineet Nippani

Dr. Beronja

UGS 302

23 April 2019

Bane of the Balkans: Yugo-nostalgia and its Manifestations

In the early 1990s, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia broke up into several Republics, which exist in place of the former Socialist state today. A sense of longing for the days of unity has manifested itself in the people of these Republics as Yugo-nostalgia and has affected the pop culture, music, and other aspects of their societies. An analysis of Yugo-nostalgia and how it manifests in the people and culture of the former Yugoslavia show that the breakup was certainly not viewed as a universal good and that it has had substantial impacts on the culture of the region that have lasted to this day.

Nostalgia can be defined simply as “[a] sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past” (Oxford Dictionaries). It is a desire to resume a connection with a time or event in the past.  Nostalgia can be attributed to the person feeling it believing that a previous period in their life is preferable to their current status quo. It is usually generated in the aftermath of massive changes to a person’s life, such as if there was someone who used to be alive whom they reminisce about or if they used to live in a country with an extremely different political system.

Nostalgia can be divided into two distinct forms: restorative nostalgia and reflective nostalgia. As Svetlana Boym explains, “Restorative nostalgia puts emphasis on nostos and proposes to rebuild the lost home and patch up the memory gaps. Reflective nostalgia dwells in algia, in longing and loss, the imperfect process of remembrance” (41). In other words, a person who has restorative nostalgia seeks a complete rebuilding of the lost material and a return to the time period the person is nostalgic for. A person with reflective nostalgia, on the other hand, seeks to treasure fragments of the past and focuses on an imperfect memory. While the forms of Yugo-nostalgia that exist vary, the majority of them are reflective, as it is essentially accepted that the actual reunification of Yugoslavia at this point is untenable.

Yugo-nostalgia is a specific form of nostalgia describing people in the Slavic States who believe the time when a unified Yugoslavia was ruled by Josip Broz Tito is preferable to the current state of the former socialist state. Regarding Yugo-nostalgia, Gabika Bockaj writes that “many people, ordinary and elite, came to experience a deep feeling of loss about their socialist past in the face of the new forces of Westernization, marketization and globalization” (173). The transformation of Yugoslavia from a socialist republic into a series of Republics which, to varying degrees, were democratic and embraced the principles of capitalism, was a radical one for many Yugoslavs who experienced it. It would have been like living in two entirely different worlds: one contains a dictatorial leader who controls the unified socialist Yugoslavia and the other contains a democratic, market-based system.

The first obvious question regarding Yugonostalgia is why does it exist and where did it come from? After all, Tito was an authoritarian who, despite fighting back against the Nazis and the Soviets, still controlled Yugoslavia with an iron fist and repressed the rights of many people. Palmberger explains the reason for this very well, stating, “The war fought between 1992 and 1995 was so cruel, that all the crimes committed by Tito seemed negligible in comparison. This is one reason why in Bosnia and Herzegovina the Yugoslav socialist past has never been critically discussed in wider public debate” (Palmberger 356). This applied for many of the other countries in Yugoslavia too. The pain caused by the breakup and the wars was so extreme and traumatic that the countless atrocities Tito committed seemed negligible in comparison to the death of Yugoslavia and wars raging across its lands. It is this fact that allows Yugo-nostalgia to bloom in the new states created by the breakup.

Yugo-nostalgia and dissatisfaction with the status quo in the former Yugoslavia can be seen clearly a synopsis of a Gallup Poll whose subjects - residents of the new states that made up this country - were asked if the breakup helped or harmed their countries. The poll shows that “three in four residents” living in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina believe the breakup harmed their country, with several Serbians even stating that they “feel an acute sense of loss as the core nation of a former multinational state” (Keating and Ritter). This shows that not only is Yugo-nostalgia not a fringe ideology but it is actually extremely predominant in many of the new states. Unsurprisingly, the poll also shows that in the countries where the population mostly viewed the breakup as a harm most people who viewed it this way were older than fifty-five (Keating and Ritter). The reason why this is expected is because these people have much clearer memories of Yugoslavia, which leads them to exhibit a much stronger feeling of nostalgia towards their past.

One of the ways in which Yugo-nostalgia effects the people of the new states can be seen in their music. According to Petrov, “Yugo-nostalgia can refer to the capacity of (Yugoslav) music to construct and (re)interpret the Yugoslav past” (Petrov 205).  Petrov gives two examples: one by Ana Bebić and Željko Vasić, and other by Amadeus band, 8 both called Yugoslavia (206). Neither of these songs actually have to do with Yugoslavia; rather, they use Yugoslavia as a metaphor for a lost love relationship that was broken up when the country collapsed in the late 20th Century (Petrov 206). The association of feelings of breakup and loss of love with the breakup of Yugoslavia is an example of Yugo-nostalgia at work. Another example is the song “Od Vardara pa do Triglava” which was released in 1996, only a few years after the breakup. The song has an essence of camaraderie and love of country (DeroVolk). It speaks of the blood and sweat that has been shed for Yugoslavia and contains lines such as “I love your rivers and mountains, your forests, meadows and sea” and “my beloved homeland, Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia” (DeroVolk). Despite being written after the breakup of Yugoslavia, the singer refers to the entirety of the former country as his homeland, rather than just Serbia, the country the song originated from, showcasing a clear example of Yugo-nostalgia appearing in forms of media such as music. The singer even speaks of always carrying Yugoslavia in his heart and his love for the country of the past. The comments on the video of the song are full of people declaring their love for the fallen country or saying that “[they] want Yugo back!” (DeroVolk). The song and the comments section of the video it is in are exemplary in showcasing how Yugo-nostalgia, to this day, has had a massive effect on culture in Yugoslavia.

Yugo-nostalgia has also had a massive impact on pop culture online. A Reddit form simply titled “Yugoslavia” showcased several examples of this (“r/Yugoslavia”). One of the first posts is a meme showing a comparison between Tito and a “girlfriend” obviously meant to embellish Tito (“r/Yugoslavia”). Another post refers to a “Broseph Tito” and a third has someone asking for tattoos to honor their Yugoslavian heritage. (“r/Yugoslavia”). These posts show some of the influence of Yugo-nostalgia on media culture and pop culture and that despite being dead for over 30 years, the influence of Josip Broz Tito is still ever-present in our society.

It is apparent from studies of modern pop culture, polling data, and music regarding Yugoslavia that Yugo-nostalgia is an ever-present force within the societies of the new Slavic republics. Many of the Republics have overwhelming majorities of the population stating that the breakup was a harmful event that dealt damage to the country, and modern music surrounding Yugoslavia has elements of love and love of country in it. There are also several indicators online to show that Yugo-nostalgia and a general belief that the status quo under Tito, in which citizens were guaranteed basic rights such as healthcare and a right to an education, is preferable to the current status quo. It is definitely possible that Yugo-nostalgia might be having even larger effects, such as influencing politics in many of the new Slavic republics. This is definitely an idea that can be explored.

Bibliography

1. “Nostalgia | Definition of Nostalgia in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nostalgia.
2. Yugonostalgia by Gabika Bockaj, covered in class. (Class Reading, Secondary Source)
3. Boym, Svetlana. The Future of Nostalgia. New York: Basic Books, 2001. Print.
4. Keating, Elizabeth, and Zacc Ritter. "Many in Balkans Still See More Harm From Yugoslavia Breakup." Gallup Poll News Service, 18 May 2017. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,  http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A492774491/OVIC?u=txshracd2598&sid=OVIC&xid=e42936b6. Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.
5. DeroVolk. “Yugoslavian Patriotic Song - "Od Vardara pa do Triglava.” Youtube. Oct 25, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn2_UJA_jxw.
6. “r/Yugoslavia.” Reddit, www.reddit.com/r/Yugoslavia/.
7. Palmberger, Monika. (2008). Nostalgia matters: Nostalgia for Yugoslavia as potential vision for a better future. Sociologija. 50. 10.2298/SOC0804355P.