War widows in Serbia: Losses, coping and overcoming

Abstract

Unlike the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the former Yugoslavia underwent sanguinary disintegration and a socio-economic transformation to the market economy as a result of the wars in the 1990s, and the creation of new national states, with the aim of achieving ethnic homogenisation in the territories of the former republics. The main focus of this article is how war widows – refugees from Croatia and internally displaced persons from Kosovo who settled in Serbia in that period – narrate their experiences of loss, living with and overcoming obstacles in new surroundings. Using conceptualisations of victimhood/survivorship and agency, the article examines how war widows – who were interviewed during field work in several Serbian towns – employed agency and utilised inner and external resources to overcome precarity. War widows and their children are victims of wars, economic and political crisis, nationalism and marginalisation in new places of residence. Nevertheless, many persevered in resolving numerous existential challenges, employing various mechanisms and coping strategies combined with varying degrees of support. In so doing, they gradually regained control over their lives, rebuilt homes and supported their children in the process of moving on from their experiences of war and crisis. The women’s identification with widowhood is a persistent aspect of their lived experiences, and both victimhood and agency are confounded and reflected in their stories, indicating the need to further rethink these concepts, and build policies aimed at both assistance and empowerment.