Serbia, a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, covers the southern part of the Pannonian plain and the central part of the Balkans. The dominant power in the former Yugoslavia, it has had a bad press in the West. However, the truth is much more nuanced and interesting than that portrayed by the media. Serbia is a country with wonderful scenery, architectural riches, and a vibrant arts scene, waiting to be discovered by Westerners. Serbs are proud, passionate, and generous people with an independent streak. They have always had to fight for survival, first against the Ottoman Turks and then against the Habsburg Empire. Following the First World War, they took the lead in forming independent Yugoslavia. They resisted Hitler heroically. Under Tito's rule Yugoslavia steered an independent course. After his death the multinational state disintegrated amid bitter conflict. The war over the secession of the province of Kosovo saw Serbia bombed by NATO forces for two and a half months. The Serbian people's reaction to their hardline Communist regime was the Bulldozer Revolution—a campaign of civil resistance that returned the country to democracy in 2000. Against this turbulent backdrop, the visitor to Serbia needs to be well informed and sensitive to people's feelings. Culture Smart! Serbia introduces you to a diverse, complex, and dynamic society. It offers background information on Serbian history and customs, and essential advice on what to expect and how to behave in different circumstances. If you show interest and respect, you will receive a warm welcome and lasting loyalty in return.

The central role that the regime of Slobodan Milošević played in the bloody dissolution of Yugoslavia is well known, but Marko Živković explores another side of this time period: the stories people in Serbia were telling themselves (and others) about themselves. Živković traces the recurring themes, scripts, and narratives that permeated public discourse in Milošević's Serbia, as Serbs described themselves as Gypsies or Jews, violent highlanders or peaceful lowlanders, and invoked their own mythologized defeat at the Battle of Kosovo. The author investigates national narratives, the use of tradition for political purposes, and local idioms, paying special attention to the often bizarre and outlandish tropes people employed to make sense of their social reality. He suggests that the enchantments of political life under Milošević may be fruitfully seen as a dreambook of Serbian national imaginary.

Three official languages have emerged in the Balkan region that was formerly Yugoslavia: Croatian in Croatia, Serbian in Serbia, and both of these languages plus Bosnian in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, a Textbook introduces the student to all three. Dialogues and exercises are presented in each language, shown side by side for easy comparison; in addition, Serbian is rendered in both its Latin and its Cyrillic spellings. Teachers may choose a single language to use in the classroom, or they may familiarize students with all three. This popular textbook is now revised and updated with current maps, discussion of a Montenegrin language, advice for self-study learners, an expanded glossary, and an appendix of verb types. It also features: • All dialogues, exercises, and homework assignments available in Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian • Classroom exercises designed for both small-group and full-class work, allowing for maximum oral participation • Reading selections written by Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian authors especially for this book • Vocabulary lists for each individual section and full glossaries at the end of the book • A short animated film, on an accompanying DVD, for use with chapter 15 • Brief grammar explanations after each dialogue, with a cross-reference to more detailed grammar chapters in the companion book, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, a Grammar.

A bloody conflict with so many similarities to those of the main players in Europe. The Serbian Revolution was fought for freedom, peace, and self-governance. The fate of small European nations was often dictated by larger global geopolitical events. As the actions of the world’s major powers almost without fault swept up small and powerless nations in their wake, ethnicities, sovereignties, and centuries of history were often thoroughly destroyed. Serbia can be in many ways regarded as an iconic example of such a turbulent and tumultuous fate - as the machinations of large Empires decided its fate, destiny, and its independence. But even the smallest of nations can cling fiercely to their identity, to their religion, and above all - to the immortal feeling of hope that is ingrained in every oppressed person. The Serbian Nation is venerable in every regard, its roots stretching far back in time. Its history was often instrumental in the great scale of European developments, and its position was in many ways the key to its importance. Nevertheless, the fate of Serbia was often directly linked to the fate of the great empires of the world, who coveted its strategic geopolitical position and its wealth of resources. Simply put, Serbia was ever at the crossroads of cultures, at the center of the windswept battlefield of the East and the West, of Islam and Christianity. And it is this position that led to much suffering of its folk. As you turn the pages we will take you through the Serbian Revolution and the bravery of those who stood up for their freedom from the oppressive Ottoman Empire.

Serbia Country Study Guide - Strategic Informtion and Developments Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments