.jpg)
This study explores the complex connection between the social dynamics of societies in conflict, memory and denial. It investigates the politics of denial and memory, as it addresses the difficulties faced by societies in coming to terms with their past. Analyzing the internal dynamics of societies in conflict, this study discusses in length societies' adoption of collective cultures of denial and the concurrent appearance of alternative voices of individuals and groups who choose to address issues of morality and responsibility against war and violence, as they force alternative attitudes into the public sphere. This study therefore discusses anti-war activism and the societal contributions of alternative voices in challenging and breaking cultures of denial; analyzing anti-war activism as the choice of individuals and groups to know, and to serve as witnesses in their society. And finally, it raises the question of what civil society can aspire to achieve, and how it can contribute to political change. Based on fieldwork conducted in Serbia in 2004, this study offers an analysis of the reflections of anti-war and social activists as they gave meaning to their activism and engagement during the period of the wars in the 1990s and afterwards. It discusses in length the following themes: the internal and external struggle within the alternative scene, the nuances of the difference between anti-Milosevic resistance and the anti-war struggle, and the generational gap in society in general, and within the activist circles in particular. In its analysis, this study focuses on the choice made by the anti-war activists to become politically aware and engaged.
In offering some insights into the changes and developments within Serbia's civil society in 2004, and in characterizing the main challenges for activism at that point, this study offers an in-depth look at feminist activism, providing insight into the Women in Black and their activism after the fall of Milosevic. Through analysis of the actions of Women in Black in memory of the Srebrenica massacre, this study discusses the contribution of their street actions to the debate over war crimes and the past, and to the creation of Serbia's future memory of the wars of the 1990s.
This study also discusses and evaluates the contribution of Serbia's alternative scene in generating change, at times of war as well as in post-war realities. In particular, it opens a discussion regarding the evolution of the concept of conscientious objection in Serbia from its early stages when it appeared solely as a discursive matter, to its achievement of legal changes and the creation of civil service in the country.
Finally, this dissertation ends with a comparative analysis of societies in conflict, offering an introductory comparison between alternative voices in Serbia and Israel. The aim of this comparison is to draw some conclusions regarding the importance of alternative voices during times of war and particularly in the process of the search for war termination and for conflict transformation.