Research based on four periods of residential fieldwork in
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“I really enjoyed the book. It provides an empirically-rich, methodology-cally-rigorous and conceptually-grounded account of the state ‘in action’. It should prove to be essential reading for all those social scientists interested in the state but will also provide inspiration for all those interested in political geography, understandings of power and notions of performance.” (Cultural Geographies, 27 December 2013)
Table of Contents
List of Figures ix Series Editors’ Preface x
Acknowledgements xi
Abbreviations xiii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 States, Performance and Improvisation 4
1.2 Towards a Political Anthropology of the Bosnian State 7
1.3 Critical Geopolitics and Qualitative Research Strategy 13
1.4 Structure of the Book 16
2 The Improvised State 20
2.1 The State Idea 22
2.2 Performance and Performativity 26
2.3 Improvisation: Performed Resourcefulness 32
2.4 Improvising the State 38
3 Producing Bosnia and Herzegovina 41
3.1 Fault Line 44
3.2 Barrier 50
3.3 The Balkan Vortex 62
3.4 The General Framework Agreement for Peace 67
3.5 Conclusion 70
4 Performing Brèko District 72
4.1 Brèko District and Arbitration 75
4.2 Stability: Getting the Job Done 85
4.3 Security: Constructing Legality 91
4.4 Neutralization: Making People Think 97
4.5 Conclusion 102
5 Gentrifying Civil Society 107
5.1 Building Civil Society 111
5.2 Social Capital: The Autonomy of Civil Society 115
5.3 Cultural Capital: ‘Don ’ t Just Ask for Another Copy Machine!’ 118
5.4 Beyond Gentrified Civil Society: Roma and Mjesne Zajednice 123
5.5 Conclusion 129
6 Enacting Justice 132
6.1 Spaces of Justice 134
6.2 Contesting the State 139
6.3 Enrolling Civil Society 145
6.4 Conclusion 153
7 Becoming European 156
7.1 Europeanization and the State 158
7.2 Nested Balkanism 162
7.3 Conclusion 166
8 Conclusion 169
References 179
Index 197
