Europe's Futures Annual Symposium 2024: Vladimir Arsenijević

Europe's Futures Annual Symposium 2024
Cres, Croatia
Friday, 31 May 2024
Panel: Down Njegoševa Street
Panelists: Ivana Dragičević, Zoran Nechev
Moderator and Panelist: Hedvig Morvai
Analysis of undue influence of the state on the steady rise of the culture of violence based on the example of the extreme ideological and aesthetical pollution of the urban landscape in central Belgrade committed by the far-right and hooligan groups.
The lecture will attempt to explain both the hidden and also not so hidden mechanisms of undue influence of the state and its most prominent representatives regarding the evident steady rise of the culture of violence prevailing in modern day Serbia, using the example of Njegoševa street, a lively artery of the central Belgrade municipality of Vračar. Known as “the street of linden trees and coffee shops” and symbolically highly important for the development of the urban culture of the Serbian capital, this street, otherwise scattered with cafes, restaurants, beer gardens, wine bars, various stores and public buildings, has in the past several years been heavily saturated with numerous graffiti, stencils and wall paintings, all of them clearly belonging to the selfsame far-right, nationalistic, militaristic and warmongering paraphernalia.
The horrific mass murder that was committed in May last year by the 13-year old student in the primary school in the close vicinity of this street only proved the point and finally raised the question of what living in such an environment does to our children’s overall well-being and mental health. Unfortunately, most of the proposed solutions emerging within the society were far from promising and thus far nothing appeared that seems to guarantee a positive resolution of such state of things. And there is a sound reason for that.
By analyzing the most prominent writings on the walls which line both sides of Njegoševa street, I attempt to prove that, disregarding the subjective question of whose hand holds the spray can, it is the Serbian State which is the main objective violator and the Serbian Society which is the sole victim of this long-drawn-out criminal activity that for a very long time (ever since the end of the last of the wars of the 1990’s) has been holding the whole population in its tight and vice-like grip.
Europe’s Futures is a partnership initiative of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation. In a rapidly changing global environment it aims to understand and address the challenges confronting Europe and the European Union.
At the Europe's Futures Annual Symposium 2024, the sixth cohort of Europe’s Futures Fellows presented the conclusions of their research in the academic year 2023/24. The findings were discussed with the Europe’s Futures Alumni Network and researchers from the University of Rijeka Center for Advanced Studies Southeast Europe.
In cooperation with University of Rijeka Center for Advanced Studies Southeast Europe (UNIRI CAS SEE).