Yugoslav Childhood

8/13/2019 Yugoslav Childhood

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[Yugoslav Childhood]

CHILDHOOD NIGHTMARESAND DREAMS OF REVENGE

by Alenka PuharThe Journal of Psychohistory 22(2) Fall 199

Introduction1.) The Nature Of Simple Life In The Balkans2.) Battering As A a! Of Life".) Se#ual A$use%.) Traditional Life& 'om$ination Of 'hanneled (age And Loe*.) T+o 'ase Studies

,.) Some 'urrent -ata On 'hild A$use.) The -eath Of The /atriarch And The -issolution

Of The 0ugosla adruga

.) Ser$ia And The 3eelings Of 4ictimi5ation6.) ar 3antas! And Trial Action~ Citations

Under the title Les Belles Images7 a famous 3rench lad! +hose childhood had$een that of 8une 9eune fille rangee78 offered some +ell:intentioned adice for thesad state of humanit!. As a means to oer:come alienation she proposed that8people ought to content themseles +ith a minimum standard of liing7 as some

of the er! poor communities still do7 in Sardinia and ;reece7 for instance7 +heretechnolog! has not penetrated nor mone! corrupted. There people kno+ a harsh

happiness7 $ecause certain alues are presered7 alues that are trul! humanalues : : dignit!7 $rotherhood7 generosit!7 +hich gie life a uni1)

3ar a+a! from /aris7 a man $orn and raised in such a communit! +as appalled $!her simplicit! and $lindness& 8I do not kno+ +hat ?adame de Beauoir@s

8minimum standard of liing8 is7 $ut I suspect It is a little more than +hat she Isideali5ing in 8some of the er! poor communities.8 Life in Sardinia ma! look

8harshl! happ!8 to /arisian left: and right:+ing intellectual cli2)

?iloan -9Ilas manifested more than his fair share of deotion to similar alues7and he not onl! made er$al suggestions $ut +as responsi$le for man! iolent

acts to improe the sad state of humanit! and sae it from alienation. But7 as hegre+ older7 he repented and tried to put on paper 8+hat reall! happened.8 Among

his man! su$9ects +as the stor! of his people7 his famil! and his o+n childhood.This is +hat he remem$ered&

er!thing is at +ar +ith eer!thing else& men against men7 men against $easts7$easts against $easts. And children against children7 al+a!s. And parents +ithchildren. The guerillas fight the Austrians7 and the latter persecute and oppress

the people. The spirits strie +ith humans7 and humans +ith the spirits. The strifeis ceaseless7 $et+een heaen and earth. And ?other $eats us. If she cannot catch

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us during the da!7 she $eats us +hen +e are asleep. The s+itch cuts into theflesh7 and one sleeps on. And +hen +e a+aken7 she demands our promise that+e +ill neer again do +hat +e did. Or else the $eating is continued.

It +ould $e eas! to promise that +e +ould not do +hat +e did if onl! +e couldfeel trul! guilt! for +hat +e did. But since +e do not feel guilt! it Is $etter to losesome sleep and endure the $eat:ing to the end.

'ertainl! strife is one side of life. But there comes a time +hen onl! strife is theorder of the da!7 as though there +ere nothing else in life.>")

arsh as this ma! seem7 there +as more than constant $attering and eternal +an+hat +as een more terrif!ing +as the oer+helming presence of eil forces&8Neertheless7 +ith us children our greatest fear +as not of men7 of $rigands7 orof Austrians. That fear $ecame mi#ed +ith another:the fear of nocturnalapparitions7 of eil spirits +ho +ere eer!+here and could appear at an! time78>%) turning life Into hell.

1. THE NATURE OF SIMPLE LIFE IN THE !AL"ANS

There is a rich choice of testimonies one could use to discredit Simone de

Beauoir@s or an!one else@s $elief that simple life ein 16%)7 remem$ered his home as a place of constant terror andan#iet!& 8The +et logs on the open fire gae the onl! light to the closel! packed

peasants and their +ies7 +rapped in thick smoke. If I tried to penetrate thecurtain of smoke7 the most I could see +ere the e!es of the human $eings7

numerous) sad and glaring +ith some kind of fluid light coming from no+here.Some kind of reproach7 een threat7 radiated from them7 and man! times since

then the! hae a+akened me from m! dreams. 8>*)

Or another e#ample7 inoling an encounter of an old man and a !oung +oman7running a+a! from home& 8'ome and sit do+nC ?oe closerC -on@t $e scaredC 0oumust hae $een raised $! a stepmother:!ou seem to $e frightened ofeer!thing.8 er unspoken ans+er& 8It +as not a stepmother7 $ut her o+nmother7 $ut she is frightened neertheless. There is al+a!s some trick hidden

underneath eer!thing7 ho+eer safe it ma! seem.8>,)

hat these cases hae in common is the t!pe of childhood the! assume. As I

hae sho+n in m! earlier articles>)7 the +riters +ere $orn into a culture ofcommon or 9oint families7 kno+n as 5adrugas7 as the $asic famil! unit. Thesecommunal families7 characteristic throughout all of former 0ugoslaia7 e#ceptSloenia7 differ significantl! from the con9ugal families +hich +e are familiar +ithIn most of uropeD the! Inoled seeral $iological families liing and +orkingtogether7 +ith men neer leaing their natie homes and +ith the eldest manfunctioning as the leading authorit!. /redominant features of this t!pe of famil!life +ere therefore enormous resistance to change and fear of innoation. ith no

priate propert! and no emancipation as +e kno+ it : the original meaning ofemancipare$eing the freeing from parental authorit! : that is a child@s gain:ing

maturit!7 adult status and Independence through ac


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in the +orks of man! foreign traelers7 the! offered the $e+ildering contrast ofast loneliness7 of cruelt! and indifference to human life7 $ut of indifference topossessions7 too7 +ith gusts of personal +armth7 generosit! and outstandingdignit! unlike an!thing one could e#perience In estern urope.>)

In ie+ of the present +ar >and man! preious ones) It seems Im:portant tostress the harshness not 8a harsh happiness78 $ut the harsh cruelt!7 ruthlessness

and $rutalit! of this life. It meant a life of constant +arfare7 +as often descri$edas l@heroic8 $! most of the scholars7 and has onl! recentl! $een far more

accuratel! defined as a life that produced 8delegate killers.@>16) Its +omen +eree#pected to $ear In silence e#treme oppression7 humiliation and iolence.

'hildren $orn In these families +ere su$9ected to harsh treatment een $eforethe! +ere $orn7 as pregnanc! +as not treated as a partic:ularl! sensitie periodIn +omen@s lies7 and the! therefore tended to conceal It pretending the! +ereas strong as eer. It meant a er! hard7 ha5ardous child$irth7 as +omen oftengae $irth alone7 +ithout assistance7 professional or unprofessional7 mostl!outside their homes. Their $a$ies +ere rituall! and repeatedl! cleansed In cold

+ater7 again mostl! outside7 s+addled7 su$9ected to arious protectietreatments against eil spirits7 mostl! harmful7 and seerel! punished throughout

$a$!hood and childhood. In short7 it +as a cro+ded life of neglect7 $attering7tenor and the a$sence of almost all signs of affection. it +as also a life of+idespread and routine se#ual a$use. /s!chohistoricall! speaking7 it +as acom$ination of Infanticidal and am$ialent modes of childrearing. if at the turn ofthe centur! In most parts of urope parents insisted on discipline7 order7cleanliness7 am$ition >and achieed these +ith Increasingl! less seere methods)7the opposite +as true for the simple life in the so:called 5adrugas of the Balkans.

But ma!$e a simple description of a house can sere as the $est +a! of

illustrating the nature of this simple life. I hae chosen an account proided $! a

historian +ho +as raised in a 5adruga in Bosnia:er5egoina In the period afterthe 3irst orld ar.

8The middle room had a small hearth +ith an outlet for smoke. The fire +as $uiltrarel!. ?ost of the famil! slept In this room. Sleeping space +as resered for thesenior mem$ers of the famil!7 married couples7 and their small children. The restof the floor space +as not assigned7 each person tr!ing to occup! the mostdesira$le spot for the night@s rest. To sleep +ith as man! as a do5en persons of

different age and se# on the floor in a small7 cro+ded room Is sini9a)7 one or t+o +ooden $o#es7 and for storage purposes t+o large elliptical+icker $askets plastered +ith co+ dung. There +ere no curtains7 draperies

or rugs. The $edding +as simple and consisted of hea! goat:hair $lankets calledgu$er. There +ere no $edsheets and onl! a couple of crude pillo+s in the house.

One slept on a gu$er. coered himself +ith another gu$erD and improised apillo+ from his o+n clothing.

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hen +e +ere all together7 food +as generall! eaten off the sini9a in shifts. Thespoons +ere +ooden $ut there +ere not enough of them7 and at mealtime aftereach s+allo+ one +as o$liged to pass the spoon to his neigh$or. The house hadfe+er than half a do5en simple metallic forks7 and no ta$le knies at all. e atefrom a single large +ooden or metallic $o+l. This shortage of eating implementsand dishes reflects a curious self:effacing attitude. It +as certainl! no ma9or task

to care additional spoons. ?aterials +ere plentiful7 and the peasant +as skilledin +ood:caring. /easants In Bileca (udine are talented masons and stonecutters

and $uilt $eautiful pu$lic $uildings for +ages7 $ut neer $uilt comforta$le andfinished homes for themseles ... Not until the late thirties did the famil! at long

last o$tain a sufficient num$er of +ooden and metallic eating implements7 aconcession to ur$an influence.

Our 5adruga home +as disorderl! and cro+ded. The sanitar! conditions +ereappalling. e had no toilets and no +ashing and $athing facilities. The +ater Inthe cistern +as polluted7 and the dishes +ere neer thoroughl! +ashed. Theanimals moed in and out of the house7 leaing their droppings. S+arms of flies+ere eer!+here. The house +as Infested +ith fleas7 $ed$ugs7 and lice.8>1F)

But this article +ill mostl! concentrate on $attering and se#ual a$use $efore

moing on to the Issue of the present +ar in the former 0ugoslaia. +hat I Intendor hope to sho+ is the most striking connection $et+een traumatic childhood and+ar7 or7 to put It differentl!7 ho+ some childrearing practices directl! produce8heroes78 not onl! delegate killers7 $ut delegate tormentors7 aengers andrapists.

#. !ATTERING AS A $A% OF LIFE

Students of traditional famil! life often oerlook some important features of child:rearing practices7 considered ital $! the historians of childhood7 $ut $eating is

not one of them. This is more than true of scholarl! +ork on the South Sla t!peof common famil! or 5adruga. On the +hole It makes no attempt to hide the factthat punishment +as er! often used in child:rearing7 mostl! In the form of$eating. The sure! of "FF 0ugosla illages and their domestic lies7 carried outSO to ,F !ears ago $! 4era Stein rlich sho+ed that 8in none of the 0ugoslaregions Is there a negatie attitude to+ard the use of a stick7 and no+here canone find consistent unit! of theor! and practice in faor of up$ringing +ithoutpunishment.8>11) Some of the ans+ers the author receied&

8;irls are struck een up to their t+entieth !ear7 and $o!s up to fifteen7 for fromthat age one has to reckon +ith the dignit! of a !outh. In olden da!s there +ere

soldiers of si#teen7 and to strike a soldier +ould hae $een the greatest of

insults.8

8The! sa!& @e $eat small $o!s most@ and& @A girl feels shame7 a $o! fear@'hildren are as a rule $eaten up to pu$ert!. It Is rarel! an!$od! $rings up a child+ithout punishment. Of certain children people think It $orn kindl! so It must $etreated kindl!. A child defends itself from its mother7 less from its father. Then

the mother sa!s& ?! s+itch $roke. It is rare for a child to attack its parents.here the s+itch of parent or teacher strikes7 the! sa! that d5ehemen >hell) +ill

not catch fire.8

8As a rule children are kept seerel!. There are cases of children not een daringto utter a +ord In the father@s presence7. (egarding punishment7 the! mostl!stick to corporal punishment. The peasants do not like gentle up$ringing. The!+ant o$edience +ithout a +ord.8

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8S+ish a+a!7 sir7 if the $ones are mine7 the flesh is !ours. That is Inaria$l! +hatI hae $een told throughout m! career as a teacher here. The! are critical of m!gentle methods7 and an! failure In school is ascri$ed to this.8

8The! $eat girls longer7 that Is7 keep an e!e on them7 parents $eating them themtill the! are married7 +hen the hus$ands takes oer. Bo!s are $eaten till theirfifteenth !ear. Bo!s knock their mothers a$out as soon as the! are oer IS That

Is common7 In self:defense. There Is no toleration +hatsoeer for gentle up:$ringing7 eer!thing $eing $rought $ack to the 9ustif!ing phrase&

The stick came out of /aradise. 8>12)

The same +as true of the hus$and:+ife relationship7 leading rlich to theconclusion there +as 8a great deal of cruelt! to all the +eaker mem$ers of thefamil!.8 ies +ere regularl! $eaten $! their hus$ands and their fathers:in:la+7as +ell as other mem$ers of the 5adruga7 er$all! a$used:the range of cursesand o$scenities in the Ser$ocroat language is 1*) An!+a!7 the firm7 unchanged $asis seems to $e strong

pressure to aoid e#pressing feelings7 particularl! on the part of men7 of

affection7 ulnera$ilit! or dependenc!D coupled +ith strong pressure to e#pressfeelings of force7 rage and dominance against commonl! understood legitimatetargets.

hat seems $e!ond dou$t is that on the ee of the Second orld ar domesticlife +as e#tremel! harsh and $rutal in most of 0ugoslaia >+ith the e#ception of

Sloenia). +hile In most of urope children +ere taught that iolence +as $adunless it +as officiall! licensed : as in +ar : this +as not so in the Balkans. And

the +ar itself made the situation far +orse. The same male Ideal : a real man asa fighter7 strong7 merciless etc. : is openl! cherished in most of contemporar! e#:

0ugoslaia.>1,)

&. SE'UAL A!USE

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In great contrast to ph!sical iolence7 +here there is an a$undance of eidence7students of the region rarel! pa! an! attention to arious forms of se#ual a$use7such as molestation7 iolence in the marital relationship7 rape +ithin or outsidethe home7 $! relations or strangers7 'hild a$use7 sodom! and the like. The!either neglect it completel! or else the! openl! claim and praise 8the strictmoralit!8 of traditional life7 +hich +as supposedl! corrupted onl! +ith the adent

of the 8modern +a! of life8 and its corrosie influence.>1)

At $est7 the emerging picture of the marital relationship suggests a life of cold7

unemotional $onds7 +ith hus$ands demanding se# and +ies giing in orenduring it. There are also man! signs of great $rutalit!7 or7 to put it differentl!7

signs of sadistic traits on the hus$and@s part and a masochistic attitude on thepart of the +ife. ?en +ho +ere e#pected to $eat and mistreat their +ies toproe their masculinit! +ere not er! much different +hen se# +as concerned. At+orst7 +omen +ere seerel! a$used $! other mem$ers of the e#tended famil!7$! outside figures of authorit!7 and tortured in the process. If the! someho+found themseles unprotected:pregnant out of +edlock7 +ido+ed7 alread! raped7drien out of their families7 emotionall! distur$ed7 handicapped or +hateer:the!

+ere su$9ected to random iolence7 often In the form of gang rape.

One of the female teachers contri$uting to rlich@s sure!7 descri$ed the follo+ingcase as t!pical of the Ser$ian peasants of Bosnia&

er hus$and +as rough een in his most intimate demands7 and for those da!srather lasciious. She is of rather a cold temperament7 so in intimate mattersthe! did not 1)

Some other contri$utors to the same sure! reealed similar traits7 that ismarriage as a lifelong se


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thoughtsD among the prime targets +ere feelings of loneliness7 an#iet!7 despair7in fact eer!thing that +as la$eled pessimism. But Ser$ocroat literature +as er!good at re$elling against the authorities. The si#ties in particular +ere a turning:point7 +ith the gro+ing emergence of +orks tr!ing to translate the silent screamsinto literature. A po+erful stream of pictures of life as $leak as it could $e gushedout. Together +ith a ne+ +ae of cinema7 aptl! called 8the $lack +ae78 there

started an aalanche of literar! +orks : short stories7 noels7 pla!s7 half:fictionalhalf:9ournalistic pieces : +here the long repressed and denied truth finall! came

into the open.

Some of them coered the 16th centur!7 some the first half of the 2Fth7 some

periods of >one of man!) +ars7 others the post:+ar7 peaceful !ears7 $ut most ofthem told horri$le stories of $itter hatred and appalling iolence. In fact7 readingthem one cannot escape the impression that the authors +ere engaged In airtual competition to shock and out:shock one another. If some older +ritersonl! hinted or o$e!ed standard rules of refined literature7>21) the generation$orn around 16"F decided to tell It all and to $e as $lunt and defiant : oftenulgar7 too : as hell.>22)

Their stories7 mostl! auto$iographical $ehind the smoke:screen of fiction7

reealed a life of e#treme ph!sical7 er$al and se#ual a$use7 of s!stematic andrandom iolence7 of incest >1") $et+een all possi$le pairs of relaties)7 se#uala$use of $o!s7 girls and animals. The! include ordinar! rapes7 gang rapes7 rapes+ith arious instruments and +eapons : all of it accompanied +ith a rich ariet!of torture7 humiliation and mutilation. Some of It happened under the protectiecoer of home or darkness7 some of it in pu$licD in the middle of illages7s2")

The most Outspoken of these noels +as +ritten $! /etar Saric under the titleThe ?aster is 'oming Tomorro+.>2%) It Is a portrait of traditional7 patriarchal

t!rann! and su$missieness7 a tale of se#ual e#ploitations as e#ercises of ra+po+er. The clan >or $rotherhood) it portra!s +as $orn In Incest $et+een a$rother and sisterD and a fe+ centuries later the incestuous $ond $et+een the

head of the clan and his sister is still its dominant secret7 although the ?aster ismore or less impotent. The noel proceeds through scenes of 9ealous!7 hatred

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and aggression to+ard the final murder of the ?aster. Its +omen closel! e!e the!oung $o!s and seduce them as soon as the! are 8ripe8 >i.e. In pu$ert!)7 giingthem up onl! +hen the $o!s get married. A man of fift! +ho has a su$normalson7 +ants him to marr! a girl of fifteen7 $ut their marriage is to $e a formalit!7as he +ants her for himself7 to $ear him a ne+7 health! son.

In eer! generation of this clan there is a $o! +ho suffers 8the famil! Sickness87

i.e.7 seere nightmares and a sort of epileps!. The description of the latest case&It started +hen the $o! +as a tin! $a$!7 +ith conulsions7 screams7 cr!ing7

4omiting. It +as immediatel! recogni5ed $! eer!one. The $a$! started to turnoerD on his stomach7 $urro+ing his face into the stra+ in the cradle. is mother

allo+ed him to do so7 $ut the grandmother +as strongl! against it& 8Turn him$ackC e must lie on his $ack7 een if he diesC8 In short7 8the! all +anted to helphim and it did not occur to them he might $e defending himself from them.8

As narrated $! the $o! +hen he has reached his earl! teens7 the treatment lookslike this&

3ather pours +ater on me7 he reaches +ith his +et hand into m! armpits and m!

crotch7 +here I s+eat the most. At the $eginning7 he had great trou$le7 he didnot kno+ ho+ to +ake me up. o+ did he eer think of reaching $et+een m! legs

+ith his +et hand7 ho+ did he find out this helps me $est=>2*)

As +ith eer! other kind of iolence7 se#ual aggression greatl! increases duringtimes of +arD particularl! at the $eginning and the end of +ars : again7 asrecorded in some memoirs and contemporar! Ser$ocroat fiction >there are nostatistical data aaila$le). In times of chaos and Insecurit!7 +ith no firmauthorit!7 the latent frustrations and hatreds e#plode into a deastating7 massie

out$urst7 orgies of plunderD murders and rapes.>2,)

3or instance7 +hen the Austrian arm! started to pull out of ?ontenegro in 1617

8there It +as as though some fur!7 a great fire7 suddenl! sei5ed an entire region.All rose up : !oung and old7 +omen and een children : to pillage the ?oslems Inthe San5ak. en men +ho +ere not eer easil! misled7 +ho had lied Inrighteousness and meekness all their da!s7 no+ lost their heads ... There +assomething else in all this7 too7 something een deeper and more lasting7 a kind ofpererted o+7 some deep inner pleasure.8 omen +ho +ent +ith foreigners+ere targets of the +orst $rutalities.>2)

(. TRADITIONAL LIFE)

COM!INATION OF CHANNELED RAGE AND LOVE

An e#cellent e#ample of ho+ people manage to find a tolera$le +a! through sucha$usie e#periences can $e found in the culture of the Ser$s7 meaning thepopulation of Ser$ia7 ?ontenegro7 parts of 'roatia and Bosnia. The! haeorgani5ed their lies around a great national trauma7 the $attle of Gosoo7 +hichtook place in 1"67 +hen the Ser$s +ere defeated $! the Turks. hat follo+ed+as a gradual occupation7 lasting for seeral centuries. hat follo+ed as +ell +asan ela$orate creatie process7 deoted to the creation of legend and m!tholog!.

After the defeat and occupation7 there graduall! emerged a flood of epic poetr!7$orn out of despair and frantic need for an appropriate surial strateg! +hich

put the $lame on fate and treason. The heroes +ere transformed into mart!rs

and the defeat m!steriousl!7 +as turned into moral ictor!7 thus helping theSer$s to Surie& 8Adersit! +as onl! to $e a trial through +hich the Ser$s had topass in order to come to $etter da!s. ence the da! of the national disaster

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$ecame7 strange as it ma! seem7 the national festial. To aenge Gosoo $ecamethe one as:piration of a su$dued nation.8>2) Thus7 a permanent7 legitimate andno$le target for iolence +as produced& to fight the Turks $ecame a nationalo$session7 a perfect outlet for pent:up feelings7 aggressieness7 rage. The a$ilit!to fight $ecame the greatest possi$le irtue7 the standard for an! appreciation ofman@s moralit! and performance of his sa:cred dut!. This spell$inding m!tholog!7

+hich +as half chanted half recited $! guslari7 coupled +ith centuries of action7proided a perfect com$ination of rage and loe:rage against the enemies7 loe

for the motherland >particularl! Gosoo7 the cradle of the Ser$ nation7 the mostsacred place). ?ost of their epic poetr! cele$rated something like an appetite for

sacrificial self:immolation In glorious +ars.

The po+er of this m!tholog! oscillated through different historical periods7 $eingparticularl! strong in times of great distress. It helped people to endure andoffered a structured +a! of life7 turning it Into a series of continuing $attles7struggles7 confrontations7 re$ellions7 plundering e#peditions and challenges.eroic life means perpetual +arD not onl! an unconscious $ut also conscious cultof aggression. 8T+o or three perfectl! definite ideas are instilled into eer! Ser$

from the moment of his $irth78 +rote Hoan 'i9ic7 one of the $est authorities7himself a Ser$.>26) 8e learns to +ish for personal freedom and self:goernmentand for the freedom of all the Ser$ian lands7 +hich7 he kno+s from $allads and

traditions7 +ere once part of his o+n coun:tr!... It is his dut! to free them +ithhis o+n $lood $! perpetual acts of heroism and $! ceaseless sacrifices ... The+hole -inaric area has certainl! produced some e#ceptionall! heroic men7 $ut ItIs the -inaric Ser$s +ho attain the highest degree of heroism...The! are +arlikeand hae $een engaged in +arfare incessantl! eer since Gosoo... Some of themare7 as 9ust as ;od7 $ut others can hate +ith a consuming pas:sion and a iolencethat reaches a +hite heat. It is the latter +ho are the chief $earers of the -inaric+ar:cr! of hol! engeance. Some of them put their strength to eil usesD $ut the

chief ent for It up to the present has $een the Ser$ian idea of nationalit!7 and

man! of them hae alread! gien their lies for it +ithout the smallesthesitation.8

8If one studies these iolent t!pes78 'i9ic continued7 8one finds in eer! singleone an alteration of a er! actie period +ith one In +hich the! are completel!passie and e#hausted. The latter periods ma! actuall! +reck an importantundertaking if a great deal depends upon the indiidual concerned. The! seem tosleep like Gral9eic ?arko7 the national hero7 and eer!thing must +ait until the!+ake. After a er! progressie period comes a $reak +ith the result that thehistorical deelopment of the inha$itants of this area goes in a 5ig:5ag line... A

general lack of sense of proportion in $oth good and $ad circumstances seems to$e a feature of the liel! temperament. ope and despair are $oth e#cessie...

hen things are going $adl!7 the -inaric peoples $ehae in an een morecharacteristic +a! than +hen the! go +ell. At the first mischance the! areassailed +ith an indefinite hesitation of spirit +hich graduall! $ecomes @fren5iedDopposers and grum$lers come for+ard7 and at this point the! ma! sa! and doan!thing. This critical stage steadil! deelops into panic7 +ith the +ell:kno+nfeatures of panic that are common to all nations. 8>"F)

There are numerous accounts of this particular heroic similar defense lines7 sothat +hole districts of Bosnia and er5egoina constituted militar! units to +ard

off the Austrians >or uropeans)7 +hile most of ?ontenegro and Ser$ia spentcenturies in constant re$ellions against the Ottomans7 +ith militar! units follo+ing

the rules of kinship $onds.

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This had a profound impact on the life of these regions. 3irst +arfare affects+omen and men7 $ut in a different +a!. To $egin +ith7 +arfare is of course themost o$ious human actiit! +here +omen definitel! cannot compete +ith men.'onstant fighting gies men a distinct role and po+er $ase7 it offers a$undantopportunit! for heroism. On the other hand7 +ars seerel! diminish theopportunit! for home:making7 agriculture and other more or less feminine

actiities and centered on home7 priac!7 prosperit!. The result is therefore notonl! that ictors tend to kill the men and enslae +omen >se#ual e#ploitation

$eing an important element)D It means as +ell that men tend to die gloriousdeaths and +omen tend to end degraded and enslaed.

hen life means constant +arfare7 +omen not onl! do the usual +omen@s +ork7the! do men@s +ork as +ell and hae to sho+ a man@s courage. To make loe andnot to make +ar Is considered an outrage. To cultiate the land7 to engage Incraft7 trade or mone!:making Is looked upon +ith contempt7 It is something the;!psies7 the He+s7 the ;reeks or other degenerate foreigners do. To improe thehome7 to make life easier and more comforta$le seems e


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I do not +ish to suggest7 as these


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technolog! means to con%F)

Gapor has neer said much a$out the details of his earl! !ears7 stressing onl!their horror and loneliness. (uins7 deastation7 loss of home7 search for loe7iolence7 corpses7 +ill to surie these are the most fre+hich made the staff furious) +as announcing that one

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da!7 +hen he had the chance7 the stick In his hands +ould $e the +eapon ofreenge. 8>%")

And so the $o!7 8thro+n Into the hell of orphanages7 $oarding houses7 camps andre:education7 utterl! lonel! among people and children87 is sustained $! his driefor success and reenge. Some da!7 8he +ill scatter his tormentors7 punish them7doing eer!thing possi$le to settle accounts for the hell he had to endure.8 But

his o+n priate hell Is not the onl! su$9ect of his reengeful dreams. is fantasiesinole the ancient $attle of Gosoo as +ell& to introduce modern +eapons into

the $attlefield of 1"67 to destro! the Turks and to change the course of histor!:this +ould $ring him fame7 making a hero out of 8nothing and no$od!. >%%)

As the adult hero comes to recogni5e the utter superficialit! of his life andsuccess7 approaching suicidal despair7 he manages to send a message to his o+nhome address& 8I do not kno+ ho+ to return from 16%. /lease7 I urgentl! needhelpC8 3inall!7 in a scene reminiscent of Lord of the 3lies $! illiam ;olding7 he isattacked $! a gang of $o!s7 his childish self among them7 and is drien Into thesea.>%*)

-uring the last !ears7 ?omo Gapor has lost most of his ur$ane polish7 turned intoone of the leading Belgrade figures of reenge7 +rit:ing and speaking profusel!7

using almost e#clusiel! apocal!ptic7 sadistic and masochistic language to e#presshis inner deastated self. e seems to $e finall! turning into realit! his childhoodfantasies of reenge +ithout merc! :: against all the hostile +orld7 $utparticularl! against his natie to+n of Sara9eo.>%,)

The +e,-n ,a+e I /0+h - 2re+en 0n3-l3e+ a y-un4er 5an.

Hoan (aduloic +as $orn in 16*17 in a er! $ack+ard illage near Gnin in

'roatia7 the mountainous area $et+een the sea and Bosnia7 a region famous forIts s+agger and aggresslon.>%) In 16F he pu$lished a $ook of short stories

;olu$n9aca.>%) The stories7 a record of the ph!sical and mental suffering of hischildhood7 +ere soon turned Into a pla!. The production >first staged In Ser$ia7as (aduloic Is a Ser$) caused a tremendous sensationD it is no e#aggeration tdsa! it +as one of the most important eents In the histor! of post:Tito 0ugoslaiaand Its i:olent disintegration. The pla! +as put on stage7 then $anned7 causingiolent polemics7 utterl! damned and praised at the same time7 turning anunkno+n author into an instant cele$rit!.>%6) Seen !ears laterD in summer166F7 the Gnin Gra9lna staged an armed re$ellion against 'roatia7 proclaiming its

autonomous status7 i.e. its secession from 'roatia7 thus triggering the present+ar In 0ugoslaia. Hoan (aduloic +as among Its leaders7 $ecoming its

secretar! of foreign affairs.

The main reason for the uproar +as political and Ideological. 3irst of all7 its authortouched on a for$idden topic. ;olu$n9aca Is an enormous karst pit7 full ofcorpsesD the 'roat >fascist) ustashi used it to dump the $odies of Ser$s7slaughtered or alie7 during the Second orld ar. in descri$ing the life of aillage7 +hose people refuse to forget it7 (aduloic@ $roke one of the $asic la+s of

0ugosla $rotherhood& the deastation of +ar +as to $e constantl! remem$ered7$ut +ithout mentioning clearl! +ho murdered +hom. Secondl!7 the pla! +as

considered far too coarse7 not 8true to life78 not ackno+ledging progress7 again apolitical offence. But in spite of the +idespread de$ates7 the crucial topic +as

neer touched7 let alone discussed7 namel! the horror of child a$use on ahorrendous scale.

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;olu$n9aca portra!s illage life in 16,F,17 +ith t+o $o!s of nine and ten asprotagonists7 in a succession of $rutal scenes. The $o!s torture animals : sheep7goats7 dogs7 donke!s7 een a ne+$orn lam$ : and kill themD the $ees are simpl!smashed7 +hile a er! tough donke! >+ho is sentenced to death $ecause he turnsout to $e impotent) @is male) teacher@s room7 undressed7$athed and taken to $edD +e are made to understand it +as neither the first northe last such incident. In another scene7 the second $o! is ordered to drop hispants $! his grandfatherD +ho insist on checking ho+ the $o!@s penis is gro+ing.The $o!@s response sho+s this is a routine practice7 as he demands to $e paid$efore o$liging. is friend arries7 declines to undress and there is much coarse$oasting a$out the si5e of male organs. The grandfather enreferring mainl! to theciil +ar $et+een the Ser$s and the 'roats)7 +ith people remem$ering theslaughters7 rapes and mutilations7 the pit $eing in the prime position at the centerof the action and graduall! $ecoming the focus of their lies.

As I hae alread! said7 the de$ate concentrated on the issues of artistic freedom7on the adisa$ilit! of eoking the horrors of the ciil +ar among the Ser$s and

the 'roats7 and on the possi$ilit! of future reenge. This +as mainl! due to thefinal scene7 the $o!@s apocal!ptic ision in +hich the pit opens and all its dead

inha$itants come out7 in a gruesome procession of corpses that include the goatthe $o! has killed >for $eing too se#uall! aggressie in attacking his flockC)7 plus

a !oung girl7 dressed in a folk costume7 Ser$ian of course7 +ho +as $utchered $!the 'roats. +hat no$od! dared to touch +as the confession of a much : a$usedman +ho had the courage to speak out7 producing a horri$le $ook and pla!7although hardl! a +ork of art.Once again7 It +as found much easier to make a political scandal and to use anenormous amount of +ords to condemn a person for his ideological +rongdoing7+hile remaining silent a$out the much more painful su$9ect. No$od! paid an!attention to the pro$lem of emotionall! distur$ed children7 let alone seerel!

a$used ones7 to the realit! of childhood in at least the $ack+ard parts of thecountr!7 to the possi$le +rong doings of parents7 grandparents7 teachers in

general7 or to the author@s credi$ilit! and his particular e#periences. No$od!+anted to kno+ an!thing of child a$use and Its effects. The author himself 9oined

the game of hide and seek7 pulling $ack from the painful su$9ect7 choosing to $e

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a mart!r for the Ser$ian cause and a ictim of national trauma rather than theictim of his o+n parents and relaties.

The case of Hoan (aduloic deseres this much coerage7 as it sho+s so +ellsome of the crucial pro$lems of a$used children. This $attered and se#uall!e#ploited $o! +as o$iousl! Intelligent and among the mistreatments he +asspared +as the fate of an inarticulate $o!7 closed up in silence. e +as sent to

school7 had a good educa:tion : he has a uniersit! degree in literature : andfound the courage to scream out his pain. If most a$used children tend to take on

their o+n shoulders the $urden of $adness7 clinging to the image of loing andnurturing parents >caught In poert!7 +hich alleiates their guilt7 in his case)7 he

managed to present his case in a rather een : handed +a! : his pu$lic +as leftto choose +ho +as the more to $lame. But +hen he met +ith pu$lic outcr! of apolitical nature7 a perfect solution +as offered7 not aaila$le to the ma9orit! ofa$used children. e +as literall! pushed again into den!ing and repressing hispriate hell7 and gien the chance to $ecome a pu$lic mart!r and hero. is guilt>or his parents@ guilt) +as forgotten7 o$literated. is priate life and Its horri$lenature +ere he@d aside. Instead7 his personal hell +as turned to marelous

adantage7 his trauma +as modified into a national trauma and used to constitutethe ne+ life of his people.

All of a sudden7 there +as no necessit! for repression and Isolation7 for denialand amnesia. e +as offered the chance to en9o! pu$lic adoration on a astscale7 his secret need for reenge +as gien the opportunit! to $ecome a loud cr!for pu$lic reenge. is dirt!7 guilt:ridden traumas +ere spelled out and forgottenat the same time7 replaced $! something far more important and gien a decentname at lastC

The real enem! +as found and spelled out7 the 'roats7 the ustashi7 and7 let us

not forget7 there +ere *F) An!+a!7the emotional life of a large num$er of Ser$s +as read! for this t!pe of a$usedchild as a hero. istor! +as once again used to hide the dirt! details of childa$use and assault7 of rapes7 incest7 sodom! etc. +hat has come to $e kno+n assoul murder +as turned into a soul resurrection for the entire Ser$ nation.

6. SOME CURRENT DATA ON CHILD A!USE

To $alance this fictional account +hich ma! seem inadmissi$le eidence to man!

readers7 some facts on the su$9ect of iolence and se#ual aggressieness arenecessar!. Enfortunatel!7 statistical eidence and scholarl! research on a national

scale are not aaila$le and there are no relia$le stud:ies coering larger areas7 let

alone different ethnic groups. +hat can $e found are seeral minor studies. I shall$riefl! sho+ some of the results.

To $egin +ith7 in man! parts of former 0ugoslaia domestic life seems to $eiolent7 meaning that $eating children and +ies is not that man!+ies do it).

Some data on 'roatia& An SOS serice for $attered +ies +as esta$:lished a fe+!ears ago and has had a lot of +ork. Of all the complaints 9ust ,J reportedse#ual aggression7 $ut the picture is utterl! +rong7 as the ma9orit! of +omenneer thought of admitting it or een calling a forced intercourse a rape. A

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detailed stud! for 16 found out that 6"J cases of $eating ended in forci$leintercourse.

A similar research in Belgrade7 Ser$ia7 found out that in "FJ of $attered cases7reported to the SOS 'enter7 +omen +ere terrori5ed +ith threats of murder as+ell >to sta$7 strangle7 $utcher them)D %6J admitted the! +ere ictims of iolent$ehaior eer! da!D %J of cases included child $attering as +ell. In most cases

the source of iolence +as the hus$and7 $ut 1FJ of +omen +ere mistreated $!their sons7 and ,J $! their fathers : usuall! in com$ination +ith hus$ands. The

Belgrade stud! concluded that in at least 2*J of cases mistreatment +as so $adit constituted e#treme danger for +omen@s lies.

Both studies reeal the long reaching effects of traditional life7 meaning the lifest!le characteristic of 5adrugas. To endure iolent $ehaior is still consideredmoral o$ligation on the part of +omenD the! are often maltreated $! theirhus$ands7 sons and fathers at the same time7 and the! tend to aoid diorce outof fear of their father@s and $rother@s opinion.>*1)

The same pattern of continuit! of traditional famil! life seems to $e true of some

other aspects of a$use. 3or instance7 $et+een 16:16 the 3orensic ps!chiatr!center In agre$7 'roatia7 +as asked for the ealuation of 1F cases of crimes of

8degradation and immoralit!87 among them "F cases of incest >inoling %Fictims). Among these "F cases , inoled sons raping their mothers. And t+oadditional cases inoled !oung men of 22 raping their grandmothers7 aged ,and D one +as murdered as +ell7 +hile the other committed suicide.>*2) Thisreeals an unusuall! high degree of hostilit! to+ards the older and the eldestgeneration of female relaties.

7. THE DEATH OF THE PATRIARCH AND THE DISSOLUTION OF THE%UGOSLAV 8ADRUGA

The 5adruga t!pe of life +as the unconscious model for the organi5ation of the0ugosla federal stateD its deelopment as +ell as its final dissolution reeal mostof the positie and negatie aspects of this t!pe of common life. It +as set up andrun according to the alue s!stem of collec:tiism7 egalitarianism7 solidarit!:eer!one +as e#pected to contri$ute according to his a$ilities7 each receied>appro#imatel!) according to its needs. There +as7 of course7 a certain amount ofdemocrac!7 $ut it +as mostl! a fake democrac! : the 'ommunist /art! +as onthe top7 Tito +as Its head7 supreme authorit! and master:for:life. Although on

the surface it looked *") Still7

enormous differences persisted7 and the! increasingl! sho+ed +hen the issue ofeconomic and political reforms $ecame unaoida$le. The ideas on ho+ to

organi5e life in the future7 ho+ to change it : if at all : follo+ed the differences inchildrearing and famil! $ackgrounds7 Including ast differences in infant

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are actuall! fascists7 ;ermans7 agents of the 3ourth (eich. The second& Shedeseres to $e punished7 she is asking for itC Let@s sho+ her +ho is the masterC

If this pattern of $ehaior proided a ma9or cause In the disinte:gration of0ugoslaia7 it seems less important no+. Sloenia +as punished in her ten da!sof +ar >In Hune and Hul! 1661) and managed to diorce and escape as a separatenation. If an!thing7 its fate proides an interesting e#ample of great satisfaction

groups find in the so : called intelligent use of force7 +hen the! em$ark on thecourse of re$irth.>*6) +hat happened In Ser$ia +as of much greater Importance

and +ill continue to $e for 9ealous!D fear of iolence and death) and se#ual a$use. The! +ere

spelled out In t+o ma9or concerns : : the cradle of life >and glor!D +hich IsGosoo7 the seat of their ancient glor!D literall! home or placenta) and se#ual

e#ploitation or rape.

These t+o ma9or concerns reemerged In 1617 +ith the first Al$anian riots InGosoo7 +hich +ere ruthlessl! repressed. The Al$anians +ere seen as rials7competing for the cradle that $elonged to Ser$ia and no$od! else7 cradlestanding for mother@s and father@s loe7 their nurturing care7 the threateningpossi$ilit! of infanticide7 asph!#iation7 loss of home7 hearth7 life. This fear +assoon articulated In additional +a!& the Al$anians posses an e#treme potenc!7the! are $reeding at an enormous rate7 the! are copulating all the time7 their o+n

+omen are not enough7 the! make adances at our +omen7 too7 in fact the! areraping them7 een little girls and nuns.

The first fear graduall! spread out and eentuall! coered the fantas! +orldproided $! cradle to grae er$al image& the cradle is not onl! Gosoo7 the seatof medieal Ser$ia7 it is not onl! +here the Ser$s lie7 it is7 moreoer7 +hereerthe Ser$s had $een $uried and their $ones laid to rest. er! single piece of suchterritor! is actuall! Ser$ia7 that is7 homeD it is not the liing that constitute thecountr!7 it is the grae!ards that delineate its $orders and make fightinglegitimate.

The search for enemies therefore started +ith Al$anians as the target7 moing

onl! much later further on& to Sloenes >for siding +ith the Al$anians or sho+ingsome s!mpath!)7 and


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+hat happened $et+een the Ser$s and ?iloseic@ in 16& the Ser$s +ere +aitingfor him7 the! created him and the! follo+ed him gratefull! and more thanoluntaril! in a h!pnotic trance. it +as a perfect e#ample of a t+o:+a! h!pnoticpo+er7 the leader enchanting the people7 the people enchanting their leader. It+as also a perfect e#ample of a popular hero leading his nation through the $irthchannel.

Three !ears later7 In -ecem$er 166F7 +ith communist rule gone all oer asternurope7 the communist part! of Ser$ia finall! agreed to elections >the last one to

do so In astern urope7 e#cepting Al$ania)D ?iloseic@ and his part! +on7 Ser$iaproiding the onl! such case in astern urope. Their election slogan 8No

uncertaint! +ith usC8 tells a lot a$out the depriations of Ser$ian childhood7+here an! certaint!7 ho+eer painful and a$usie it ma! $e7 seems the $est +a!of life. hile all oer astern urope7 in ar!ing degrees7 people +ere oting forchange7 risk7 alternatie7 +ith $allots or their feet7 in more or less el:et!reolutions7 the Ser$s $ehaed in a +a! t!pical for $attered children& Thecommunist part! as the parent +as seen as the onl! proider of loe and careD ifloe comes mi#ed +ith anger7 harsh treatment7 punishment7 $attering7 It is

neertheless loe7 securit!7 haen.>,1) T+o !ears later7 in -ecem$er 16627 thesame pattern +as repeated7 although $! then additional eidence of the a$usienature of this loe +as aaila$le.

One of the most interesting features of Ser$ian group:fantasies eoling intoirtual paranoia of e#treme self:pit! and ictimi5ation7 can $e seen in theirrhetoric7 for instance in the use of the term genocide. To de:scri$e thecontemporar! >i.e. not the 2) fate of the Ser$s It +as first emplo!ed In 16*7+hen a group of intellectuals >mem$ers of the Academ! of Science and Arts)+rote a memorandum on the current situation in 0ugoslaia and the 8economic

su$9ugation8 of Ser$ia $! Sloenia and 'roatia. The e#perience of Ser$s inGosoo +as descri$ed as 8ph!sical7 political7 legal7 and cultural genocide. 8>,2) A

fe+ months later the same definition +as used in seeral petitions7 letters ofprotest and pu$lic speeches all oer Ser$ia. Although there +as no eidence of

actual killing going on7 let alone loss of life on a ma9or scale7 the term +asrepeated oer and oer7 graduall! turning into a irtual o$session7 9ustif!ing an!counter:action. B! 167 there +as hardl! a Ser$ to $e found unac


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$et+een the fate of He+s and Ser$s7 proclaiming Ser$s one of the most ictimi5edpeople in the histor! of humanit!7 standing alone in the face of the entirethreatening +orld& 4atican plots7 ;erman plots7 American plots7 'roatian plots7 allunited +ith a single aim : to +ipe out the Ser$s. To proe it and to fight againstit7 an association of He+ish:Ser$ friendship +as esta$lished in 16D its leader>+ho suried olocaust as a $a$! and +as $rought up In a Ser$ famil! In

Belgrade) has this to sa!7 using the first person plural for the He+s7 the secondfor the Ser$s& 0our people hae passed through ;olgothas7 too7 through hell7

!our people kno+ ho+ to fight7 kno+ ho+ to surie. I am positie this is the lasthell !ou are meant to pass through. Bear it +ith dignit!. I am simpl! delighted I

hae the priilege to lie amongst !ou... 0ou are actuall! one of the er! fe+peoples on this earth that 9ust does not kno+ ho+ to hate. 0our enemies areluck!7 the ;od has not proided !ou +ith this a$ilit!. 0ou cannot hate een those+ho caused !ou eil. He+ish people are not used to $eing loed either. /eople+ork +ith us7 the! cooperate +ith us7 the! trade +ith us7 $ut I hae neer $eenconinced of an! genuine affection or loe to+ards us. ith the Ser$s7 thesituation is totall! different... So fight and sae !our nationC The uropeangangster democrac! +ill neer $reak the Ser$sC>,*)

This highl! emotional collectie fantasies of Identification +ith He+s hae aninteresting trait& the! are used e#clusiel! to e#press enormous fear and pain7 as

+ell as suicidal readiness for self:immolation. The mask of He+ish ictims comesdose to necrophilla7 as In their loe for the He+s the Ser$s recogni5e nothing else$ut olocaust or a horri$le pile of si# million corpses7 the onl! difference $eingthat the! +ill die proudl!7 In $attle. But no amount of ictims Is too great7 asreealed $! a recent state:ment& 8There are 12 million Ser$s7 if half of us shouldget killed7 there +ill still $e , million of us left.8>,,) The other half of thestereot!pe and the possi$le use or a$use of He+s has $een resered for someenemies of the Ser$s& The Sloenes or the north +esterners are greed!7 thrift!7

mone!:makers and mone!:gra$$ers7 $lood:suckers7 e#ploiters7 +ho kno+ no

shame. These accusations pla!ed a ma9or role7 due again to the differences Intradition7 that is the 5adruga t!pe of famil! +hich functioned +ithout priatepropert! and left a heritage of seeing mone! as an eil7 corrupting agent andcommerce as a shameful7 humiliating actiit!.

The e#tremel! regressie +a! that the Ser$ian reitali5ation moement tookcould $e seen7 too7


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hen actual fighting started7 the fear proed +ell grounded& (ussians soon$ecame inoled7 either as soldiers7 fighting for the common cause7 or as agro+ing num$er of isiting pu$lic figures and +riters7 proclaiming the same +ith+ords. The most prominent among them Is duard Limono7 +ho often tours the$attlefields7 firing a fe+ shots here7 a fe+ there7 or promising the nuclear+eapons to his Ser$ $rothers7 if the pro:estern 0eltsin finall! falls7 as he did on

?arch 1,7 166" in Belgrade.>,) To su$stantiate his claims7 one can ,)

:. $AR FANTAS% AND TRIAL ACTION

It has $een proposed $! 'asper Schmidt7 in his 8Trial Actions8 article7>,6) thatgroups go through arious distinct stages during their preparation for +ar7floating fantasies7 +ith a trial action $eing the most prominent. e defined trialaction as 8a form of floating a fantas! in +hich the er$al component of the

fantas! is repressed78 this mock $attle $eing the safest +a! of Informing theleader +hat the group reall! +ants. I +ould like to offer a comment or some

additional thoughts and illustrations. ssentiall!7 m! argument is that this is trueof the +a! the more adanced ps!choclasses $ehaeD children raised +ith amodest use of ph!sical force7 children permitted to


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undeclared +ar in +hich +e hae found ourseles. But this +ar is the most $rutalof all.8 e promised Ser$s +ill fight and 8+e@ll $urn all urope7 if necessar!.8 Andthe +riters as leaders of the moement of re$irth through +ar +ere soon 9oinedeen $! ps!chiatrists.>1)

in 1667 a pu$lic opinion poll +as carried out among the high school students inBelgrade7 +ith seeral respondent sa!ing that 8all Sloenes should $e killed.8 A

?ontenegrin $o! $ecame famous $! his pu$lic statement& 8If the th session ofthe 'entral committee does not sole all our pro$lems7 I +ill search for freedom

on the $om$ing fields like Bosko Buha8 >this $eing a teenager hero from 2resistance). >2)

And the stor! goes on and on7 reaching one of the first clima#es in Hune 1667the cele$ration of the *FFth anniersar! of the $attle of Gosoo7 +here seeralspeakers7 ?iloseic among them7 announced the approaching +ar:and the cro+droared +ith pleasure and approal. As it came nearer7 the first paramilitar! unitsstarted to pose +ith +eapons7 knies Included. In +inter 1661166F1 first sa+ aphotograph of a group of heail! armed men7 +aing a $lack flag7 +ith a scull

and cross$ones. As the urge for +ar increased dramaticall!7 the threats $e:camee#tremel! ela$orate and o$scene7 promising not lust +ar and death7 $ut endless

torments7 mutilations7 rapes7 all of It In garish de:tails. The Americans might not$e a+are of It7 $ut one of the most fa:mous Ser$ian painters7 +ho loes to $e apoet7 too7 has +ritten an epic poem in seent! erses on their eentual fate&3rom their sockets !our e!es shall oo5e7 ;orged as the! drip $! cro+s let loose.Back+ard hence:forth shall turn !our toes7 And +ith dogs !ou shall scram$le for$ones. Black shroud shall enelop !our home7 3rom the itch no scratch shall help!ou. 0our sickle shall cut thorns full of snakes7 And ic! stone !our sc!the shallru$. 0our girdle shall $e the horse@s cord7 And $eggar@s cane !our main support.

-o+n to the ground !our guts shall dangle@ 3o+l shall peck !ou up to the +aist73rom the +aist up !our flesh +orms shall gna+. -!ing on end7 una$le to die7 ith

!our o+n hands digging !our grae. Smitten foreer $! Negro +rath.>") henthe same man uses oil and $rush Instead of +ords7 he loes to paint the scenes

of +ar deas:tation7 for Instance the death of 4ukoar& 84ukoar +as li$eratedfrom the 'roat Na5is. The! +ere helped $! 'entral uropean scum. The! cra+ledfrom under the papal tiara7 as a dart of a serpent@s tongue that protruded fromthe $loated Graut and uro:communal oer:stretched anus. The figures of;enseher7 Gohl7 an den Broeck7 de ?ichelis7 ?ock7 and aldheim +ill help mefinish m! ne+ painting7 The ?ocking of 'hrist7 in the manner of Bosch. The title+ill $e augmented into The ?ocking of Ser$ian 'hrist.8>%)

pic or l!ric poems +ith similar contents hae latel! deeloped into the latest

artistic cra5e In Ser$ia7 $ased mainl! on the ancient tradition of magic curses.

Some of them are een +ritten $! teenage girls7 for instance on 8urope the$itch87 +hich strings a long line of curses7 concluding&

80our screams7 $itch7 +ill $e lonel!7 no one +ill hear them $ecause +e areheading for the sk! to punish ;odC8*M

In short& the approaching realit! +as forecast7 +ith atrocities spelled out in forte

fortissimo7 spread out In print7 and no er$al component repressed7 long $eforethe! happened. ?ost of it could $e detected in cartoons and similar isual

material as +ell7 again in adance7 as an aalanche of printed media reeal. Butthere is a nota$le e#ception& se#ual a$use or7 to $e specific7 rape.

Let me return to the dominant hi:polarit! of 0ugoslaia in the mid:ighties7 thenorth+est : southeast split7 meaning mostl! Sloenia and Ser$ia as the most

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oer and hae some fun in raping. 3or the more adanced ps!choclass7 thechapter +as oer.

On the other hand7 in the printed media in the rest of 0ugoslaia there are nocartoons or comic strips +ith open se#ual contents7 let alone rapes. And there areno pictures of naked or half naked people at all. >Of course7 I am not referring topornographic maga5ines7 +hich are numerous and sho+ er! e#plicit pictures.) In

fact7 I cannot proide an! cartoons +ith +omen at all. The! are lust not there. Allpolitical cartoons or article illustrations from 'roatia to Bosnia and ?ontenegro

sho+ men and men e#clusiel!& adults7 $o!s7 $a$ies7 $ut neer +omen or girls.The situation is the same in either peace or +ar& +omen are a$sent.

And !et7 as +e are $! no+ painfull! a+are7 +omen are one of the prime targetsof the current +ar7 $e it Bosnia or 'roatia. No relia$le figures are aaila$le) $utthere arc firm reasons to $eliee that thousands of +omen7 of all ages7 hae $eenraped so far. 0et none of it can $e seen in noner$al communication.

On the other hand7 the trial action7 as +ell as the actual7 er! real actions7 hae$een full of direct7 non:repressed er$al threats of 9ust that& e shall rape7 +e

+ant to rapeC As earl! as 16,7 a man proclaimed In a pu$lic gathering InBelgrade& 8Let them >the Al$anians) rape our +omen7 +e shall rape7 tooC8>) In

167 there +ere alread! large cro+ds shouting& 8e@ll fuck so:and:soC8 >namesproided) and using arious four letter +ords in pu$lic speeches7 in connection+ith specific names7 some of them dro+ning in o$scenities. And the! more thanfulfilled their promises.

hat accounts for this intriguing pattern= The reason can pro$a$l! $e found In afairl! earl! mode of childhood7 +here children are largel! $rought up $! +omen7

men $eing high a$oe the 9o$. omen are the sole source of loe and care7 $utat the same time children7 particularl! $o!s7 are prodded and taught to despise

them. The conflicting feelings of loe and hate to+ards +omen in general7 loe forthe affection receied7 resentment for the affection not receied and hate for thea$use suffered in the process7 all seem to accumulate7 +aiting for an out$urst ofreenge. Or the reason ma! $e hidden In an enormousl! high incidence of directse#ual a$use of children7 +ho 9ust cannot $ring themseles to touch the su$9ect7unless it is e#pressed In a sociall! accepted7 unthreatening +a! of s+earing andshouting o$scenities.

Let me conclude +ith an o$seration on 8ethnic cleaning8 All such e#pressions7

not to mention the realit! the! coer7 are reolting7 $ut this one is inappropriate7too7 in fact as misleading as it can $e. it has nothing +hatsoeer to do +ith the

concept of cleanliness7 +hich implies order7 discipline7 punctualit!. On the

contrar!7 it is sheer tenor on a ast scale7 mess!7 dirt!7 drunk7 random7 $erserk.And there is no plan $ehind it7 no ision of a structured7 orderl!7 rational eentuallife. The +ish $ehind it is er! simple& Let@s huddle together7 $rothers7 and let@s$utcher as man! of those +ho do not desere to $e our $rothers an! more7$efore the! $utcher us. Let@s inflict our childhood traumas upon others7 ratherthan +ork it through in our ne+ freedom. And let@s en9o! the mess! carnageC

As a shocked o$sered put it& 8There is a repulsie Ser$ocroat proer$ a$out a

cretin se#uall! a$using the deaf:mute. I think a$out it often.8>6)

In ;a,< 0;< a+ eMau+e ha+ +a0< /ar+ are ;la+hba,k+ - abu+03e,h0lrear0n4 2ra,0,e+< he -ne 0n !-+n0a -;;er+ a 2er;e, e=a52le),ha-0,< -rur-u+ ,h0lh--+ urne 0n- ,ha-0,< -rur-u+ /ar.

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[Yugoslav Childhood]

CHILDHOOD NIGHTMARESAND DREAMS OF REVENGE

by Alenka PuharThe Journal of Psychohistory 22(2) Fall 199

C0a0-n+

1. ?iloan -9iIas7 The Enperfect Societ!7 London& En+in Books7 1627 pp.122:12"D -9ilas@ %) Spring 166"D Alenka /uhar& 'hildhood Origins of4iolence in 0ugoslaia7 The 5adruga famil!7 unpu$lished.. B! far the most famous Is still (e$ecca est7 Black Lam$ and ;ra! 3akon7London& The 4Iking /ress 16%1 or& /enguin Books7 1 6%6. Llo!d de ?ause7 The Immortal Ataturk7 The Hournal of/s!chohistoiMr7 1* E)PSununer 16

1F. a!ne 4ucinlch& A 5adruga in Bilec@a (udine7 in& 'ommunal 3amilies in theBalkans7 ed. (o$ert 3. B!rnes7 Indiana 1 6,7 pp.1 :1 6.

11. 4era Stein rlich7 3amil! in Transition7 A Stud! of "FF 0ugosla 4illages7/rinceton& /rinceton Eniersit! /ress7 16,,7 p.,. 12. i$idem7 pp ,:%1". Quoted in Io Banac7 The 3earful As!rrunetr! of ar7 -aedalus7 Hournal of theAmerican Academ! of Arts and Sciences7 Spring 16627 p.1%%. The article offers ane#cellent insight into the pro$lems of 0ugoslaia7 past and present.1%. el Hko Tre$iesanin7 /recklaa F deteta a sipsko9 kulturi7 Beograd7 Srpsl&alcn)i5ena5adruga7 16627 pp.2,":2,I*. rlich7 3amil! in Transition7 particularl! chapters on the status of the father7

the hus:$and and the reshaping of the famil!. The author proided seeralinteresting graphs.

1,. This can $e seen in all the media and all forms of art7 $ut particularl! in theso:called ne+ folk songs7 one of the most popular forms of e#pression. Of course7

it can $e detected in numerous interie+s gien $! promment pu$lic figures.The! often $oast of neer intruding into thek children up$ringing7 or helping +ithhousehold chores etc.7 as this is definitel! not a man@s 9o$.1. 3or instance7 the groups of !oung men7 planning acts of terrorism against theAustrian authorities in liosnia at the $egliming of the centur!7 +ere coninced thatthe a$s$urg authorities +ere deli$eratel! fomenting the moral corruption of thepopulation. en the chance to get the education and to traeL +hich greatl! im:proed during the decades of Austrian rule oer Bosnia7 +ere seen as the means

for corruption7 as these !oung men are losing the most striking features of the$eaut! of our race7 a$sor$ing in the gutters of 4ienna7 Berlin and /ans the ugliest

side of urope7 +hich the! later $ring $ack among us. See -edi9er7 pp.2F:2F6.The same ie+s +ere repeated $! the right:+ing parties during the thirties and

are +idespread in contemporar! Ser$ia7 +ith urope usuall! :descri$ed as +horeor $itch.

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1. rlich1 p.1F2. The possi$ilit! for se#ual aggression and molestation +as fargreater in the communal families than in the con9ugal families. ?ost of the 1 6thcentur! traellers from Sloenia7 coming fiom a different $ackground7 +ereshocked oer the Imilioralit! and corruption of the 5adruga famil! life in 'roatiaDthe! e#pressed particular concern oer the fate of children in the oercro+dedhouseholds. The! include Hane5 Trdina7 Hosip Hurcic and 3ran r9aec7 +riting their

reports $et+een 1*2 and 12.16. rlich7p."1

2F. rlich7 p."2F.21.3or instance Io Andric7 the No$el laureate7 or /etar Segedin. Both +rote

searing portraits of their earl! !ears7 Andric in a collection of short stories OtrncPand Segedin in his auto$iograph ical noel -9eca $o5ia.22. The! include authors like ?iodrag Bulatoic7 -anilo Gis7 And9elko 4uletic7?ihailo Lalic7 Hoan (aduloic7 /etar Saric7 ?ilisa Saic7 -ragosla ?ihailoic7(astko Scepanoic7 ?illca Nokoic. The ones that sho+ed some reticence +ereoften asked for the reason. ere is the ans+er $! ?irko Goac7 $orn in 16" InBosnia: ercegoina& PIf I +rote do+n this $iograph! of childhood It +ould $ehorri$le. I often ask m!:self no+ada!s7 recalling those Incredi$le pictures& has it

reall! happened= heneer I tr! to ie+ this life of mine7 all those scenes7 $utparticularl! m! childhood7 I come to think It had not happened7 that it +as not

m! life at all.8 Interie+ +ith ?irko Goac7 Gn9i5ena rec7 Beograd7 ?arch 2*7 16%.

2". ?illsa Saic7 Bolgarska $araka 7Beograd7 16,6. The author +as fiercel!attacked for this hook7 $ut Hast !ear he +on the prestigious ?N a+ard for hisfourth $ook.2%. /etar Saric7 Sutra sti5e gospodar 7Beograd& /roseta7 162. The noel takesplace in ?ontenegro.2*. ?!


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+aged predominanfl! on the ground of former ?ilitar! Border7 meaning a$out t+othirds of toda! 'roatia7 and a lot of it is stifi under occupation."%. Hoan 'i9lc1 Studies in Hugosla ps!cholog!7 The Slaonic (eie+7 16""."*. ?iloan -9ilas7 Land ithoutHustice7 p.%6:SI. The cop! of the $ook I read and?a! 7 16*)7 Inter@9u >@anuar! %7 16*)7-anas >1une 27 166)7 ?N Qanuar! 171662).

%F. To


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Yugoslav Childhood