Serbian Orthodox Fundamentals: The Quest for an Eternal IdentityCentral European University Press, 2003 M05 1 - 316 pages This book is a comprehensive exposition of the interaction of a national (the Serbian people) and a religiou (the Orthodox Christian faith) content, in the formation of a distinctive national identity and a mode of being. Its interdisciplinary approach, drawing on sociology, social anthropology, theology, political theory, Balkan historiography, and Serbian folklore, is deployed to provide a powerful and original analysis of how Serbian Orthodoxy has resulted in the sacralisation of the Serbian nation by framing the parameters of its existence. Addresses the following questions: what 'makes' a Serb? Are meaningful assumptions possible by introducing Serbian Orthodoxy as the primal point of reference? Why does religion appear to have an especially strong appeal? |
Contents
1 | |
And the Earth Was without Form and Void | 5 |
What is Religion? | 10 |
If God Does Not Exist He Would Have to Be Invented | 11 |
Communio in Sacris | 14 |
Defining the National within the Serbian | 16 |
The Fundamentalist Discourse | 18 |
Accounting for Fundamentalism in Serbia | 21 |
Conclusion | 98 |
Chapter Four THE PURSUIT OF SECULAR SALVATION | 109 |
Vox Populi or Vox Dei? | 110 |
Serbian Orthodoxy and Yugoslav Communism | 115 |
Josip Broz Tito | 119 |
The Serbian Monarchy | 122 |
The Chetnik Movement | 124 |
Slobodan Milosevic | 125 |
Conclusion | 23 |
Chapter Two ORTHODOXY AND SERBIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY | 35 |
The Doctrinal Content of Orthodoxy | 36 |
The Creation of Man in the Image and Likeness of God | 38 |
The Triune GodFather Son and the Holy Spirit | 39 |
The FunctionalCultusContent of Orthodoxy | 41 |
The Role of the Orthodox Liturgy | 42 |
The Normative Expressions of Orthodoxy | 43 |
Baptism and Chrismation | 44 |
The Eucharist | 45 |
The Holy Matrimony of Marriage | 46 |
Serbian Orthodoxy | 47 |
The Foundations of the Serbian Orthodoxy | 50 |
Orthodoxy as the Sacralisation of the Serbian Identity | 54 |
Krsna Slava | 56 |
The Religious Non Affinity of the Serbs | 57 |
Conclusion | 60 |
Chapter Three HOMO SERBICUS | 73 |
Homo Serbicus Historical and Territorial Hypostases | 78 |
The Love Ethic | 82 |
Honour | 83 |
The Concept of Heroism | 85 |
The Concept of Freedom | 87 |
The Concepts of Justice and Vengeance | 88 |
The Zadruga | 92 |
Kumstvo | 93 |
Homo Serbicus Balkan Mentality | 94 |
Homo Serbicus Mere Stereotypes? | 96 |
Orthodoxy and the Culture of Power in Serbia | 127 |
Serbian Orthodoxy and Democracy | 130 |
Conclusion | 134 |
Chapter Five THE PURSUIT OF SACRIFICIAL SALVATION | 147 |
National Myths and Mythogenesis | 148 |
The Kosovo Battle 1389 | 152 |
The Legend of Kosovo | 154 |
The Continuous Dialogue between the Present and the Past | 162 |
The Kosovo Sacrifice | 165 |
Conclusion | 168 |
Chapter Six TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF | 179 |
Homo Homini Lupus | 180 |
Instrumental Violence and Orthodoxy | 184 |
The Serbian Warrior | 189 |
The Distortion of Brotherhood and Unity | 194 |
God of Life and Death | 197 |
Homo et Femina Nervis Laborans Psychosis? | 200 |
Conclusion | 201 |
Chapter Seven THE BALKAN ORTHODOX COMMONWEALTH | 213 |
The Greek Orthodoxy | 215 |
The Bulgarian Orthodoxy | 221 |
The Romanian Orthodoxy | 227 |
Conclusion | 232 |
CONCLUSION | 241 |
249 | |
275 | |
Other editions - View all
Serbian Orthodox Fundamentals: The Quest for an Eternal Identity Christos Mylonas Limited preview - 2003 |
Serbian Orthodox Fundamentals: The Quest for an Eternal Identity Christos Mylonas No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
analysis assumptions attributed authority Balkan belief Cambridge cause century character Christian circumstances collective commitment communist concept conferred congregation considered constitutes construction context continuity correlation creation cultural divine doctrinal Eastern ecclesiastical elements emotional established ethnic existence experience expression fact faith follows forces former function Fundamentalism further Greek historical Homo Serbicus honour human identity importance individual influence institution internal interpretation involved Kosovo language latter linguistic London manifested meaning military moral myth nature notions observation organisation origins Orthodox Church Orthodoxy’s particular past perceptions pertains physical political practices precepts present principles profane question Quoted reality references relation religion religious remained ritual sacramental sacred sense Serb Serbian Serbianhood shared significance social society specific spiritual structures substance symbolic territorial tion tradition truth University Press values violence York Yugoslav Yugoslavia