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 Balkan Babel 4EThe Disintegration Of Yugoslavia From The Death Of Tito To The Fall Of Milosevic, Fourth Editionby Sabrina Petra Ramet Jan 28, 2002
DescriptionThe fourth edition of this critically acclaimed work includes a new chapter, a new epilogue, and revisions throughout the book. Sabrina Ramet, a veteran observer of the Yugoslav scene, traces the steady deterioration of Yugoslavia’s political and social fabric in the years since 1980, arguing that, while the federal system and multiethnic fabric laid down fault lines, the final crisis was sown in the failure to resolve the legitimacy question, triggered by economic deterioration, and pushed forward toward war by Serbian politicians bent on power—either within a centralized Yugoslavia or within an “ethnically cleansed” Greater Serbia. With her detailed knowledge of the area and extensive fieldwork, Ramet paints a strikingly original picture of Yugoslavia’s demise and the emergence of the Yugoslav successor states. Reviews"Ramet has done a fine job of weaving together an account of the break-up and war that goes beyond the familiar narrative of the conflict to discuss issues such as religion, gender, the politics of rock music, and the fate of Slovenia and Macedonia after independence." "Sabrina Ramet's Balkan Babel is one of the few books on Yugoslavia and its successor states likely to be on the shelves of every specialist of the region and on required reading lists across the Balkan studies spectrum while remaining accessible to the general reader...[Ramet is] more sensitive than most to what makes the people there tick, enabling her to bring to her work a degree of observation and breadth of vision sadly lacking in a significant number of the more recent offerings on the region." "Balkan Babel is excellently written by one of the leading scholars in the field; it holds a convincing argument and is clearly based on years of thorough research. I strongly recommend it to all those seeking to understand the disintegration of former Yugoslavia." "Ramet's investigation offers one of the most coherent explanations and understandings of the Balkan crises of the 1990s... Balkan Babel is simultaneously an excellent source of insight and a reference for further research both for students of the Balkans and for those interested in the broader field of international relations." "Balkan Babal is welcome both for its author's unquestionable expertise and for its covering of so much ground so concisely." "Relying on a rich array of local sources, interviews, and personal observations, the author succeeds in disentangling the complex historical record with all its multiple nuances, inconsistencies, and often ostensibly baffling policy choices. As such, Ramet's work is a valuable reference for those who want to review the facts and to track the basic political trends, aided by her sophisticated analysis of individual aspects of the two-decade-long crisis set in a broader context. Ramet does not limit herself to politics, but also studies religion, the media, economics, literature, human rights, and even rock music in order to provide a holistic context in which to understand individual events and personalities." "Balkan Babel has no peer in the literature about Yugoslavia's terminal crisis, dissolution and serial wars. The weakness of 'civil society' in this region has often been remarked, yet Sabrina Ramet has taken its historical, political and cultural measure with unique care and fair-mindedness, assessing Balkan particulars in the light of a stringent but capacious liberalism. Indispensable!" "Sabrina Ramet's new edition of the highly influential Balkan Babel adds new penetrating analyses and persuasive interpretations regarding the deep causes and consequences of Yugoslavia's tragic disintegration. Engagingly written, scholarly rigorous, morally alert, and conceptually innovative, this book is a genuine example of social science at its best." "Balkan Babel was an instant success when it appeared in 1992. Four years later a much expanded second edition was published. The present third editions comes close to being a brand new work. Seven chapters of the second edition have been significantly reworked and two new ones discussing the Dayton agreement and the problem of Kosovo have been added. This volume is highly recommended even to those who have read the first two versions." "Ramet is perhaps the premier American 'Yugoslavist' working today. I know of no other non-native scholar who has as thorough and intimate a familiarity with the societies of the former Yugoslavia. I would highly recommend Balkan Babel to anyone with an interest in understanding the true nature of Yugoslavia and its end. Ramet goes beyond the easy cliches and will strip away the confusion of those not intimately familiar with the region. Babel stands out on a shelf suddenly crowded with mediocre titles." "The product of meticulous research and fine writing... Worth reading. A fascinating look at Yugoslav society." "An excellent introduction to the recent history of the South Slavs' descent into the inferno. These essays... will remain valuable sources of information and insight into the causes of the current mayhem in the Balkans and deserve a wide readership...; but they also contain testimony to a vanished world which [Ramet] explored as a pioneer." "This timely study by a leading scholar in the field examines Yugoslavia's recent disintegration, emphasizing the interplay of politics with certain cultural elements and with religion... Highly recommended." "The best scholarship I have been able to find about Serbian Orthodoxy and Serbian nationalism is the writing of Sabrina Petra Ramet." Martin Peretz Selling TerritoryWorld |
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