Book Reviews 597

Đorđe Tomić, Phantomgrenzen und re- contemporarily, is what the concept of gionale Autonomie im postsozialisti- phantom borders is about. schen Südosteuropa. Die The newly established research field und das im Vergleich, Göttin- around the concept of phantom borders gen: Wallstein, 2016 (Phantomgrenzen seeks to explain the persistence of former im östlichen Europa, 6). 357 pp., ISBN political spatial constructions in the pre- 978-3-8353-1955-4, € 32.90 sent. It remains a bit doubtful, however, why Tomić chose to compare the two The transformations experienced in the regions of the Vojvodina and the Banat. postsocialist era attained particular atten- While the study of the Vojvodina is in- tion of social scientists and, more recently, depth and detailed, the part on the Banat historians, who strove to explain the rapid is more superficial, and sometimes even changes of those turbulent times. Đorđe incomprehensible. To be sure, the author Tomić’s study fits very well into this gen- introduces the Banat merely as a ‘con- eral framework of studying the postsocial- trasting foil’ (53) to the core issue of the ist transitory era. In the last decade of the Vojvodina. Still, the way he treats the Ba- 20th century, many ‘phantom-like’ zones, nat comes across as too asymmetrical in areas, mindsets and political entities have comparison to his core interest, and it is emerged. The book reviewed here is a de- not always obvious why comparison with tailed study of two neighbouring zones, the Banat is necessary to make his point. the Vojvodina in and the Banat in What is more, the conceptualisation of au- Romania. They share historical legacies, tonomy as sought by Vojvodinian society including claims for regional autonomy and the claim to multiculturality put forth within the changing political systems of in the Banat seem two different tenets, or, the 20th century. A comparative study of at least, seem not to be sufficiently refined these two regions that applies the concept as concepts to establish a convincing base of phantom borders aptly presents the reader for comparison. with the peculiarities of both areas in the The author gives preference to the devel- past and in recent times. opments after the socalled ‘Yoghurt revolu- Tomić’s study focuses on how borders tion’ in at the end of 1988. This may be defined during transition, that is name refers to events in the Vojvodina in whether the established borders are con- the course of the anti-bureaucratic revolu- tested or readily accepted. Issues of re- tion carried out by supporters of the Ser- gional, border, political or geographical bian leader Slobodan Milošević. The mas- identities are highly controversial in the sive street protests led to the overthrow two regions at hand. The geographical of the governments in the autonomous definition of a region claims to be able to provinces of Vojvodina and , and shape the identity of the people who live was one of the defining moments in the there, and to reshape this identity if the re- development towards state dissolution gional space changes. Thus, when politi- and war. In the course of this overthrow, cal geographies change they also change protesters threw yoghurt onto the Vojvod- their sociopolitical features. This repetitive inian parliament building. This is the start- feature through time, that is starting with ing point of a long-lasting renegotiation of a political entity in the past and recurring autonomy (and therefore borders) in the 598 Book Reviews decade-long agony of the state that once units. Therefore, Tomić’s conceptual ap- was Yugoslavia. proach leaves room for discussion: where, Tomić introduces his book with effectively,are the phantom borders of the a lengthy theoretical part on how borders Vojvodina and the Banat? have changed in postsocialist Europe, and The author makes an enormous effort how the concept of phantom borders helps with regard to the secondary literature he to understand these developments. The used, and also delivers a comprehensive chapter dedicated to the Vojvodina (some survey of the available archival materials. 160 pages) is almost four times as large as Again, this is more true for the Vojvodina the one on the Banat (some 40 pages). Serv- than for the Banat. In general, his study ing as a ‘control variable’ with regard to is a good recent history (Zeitgeschichte, in how the imperial legacies were revived, it German) of the Vojvodina, with a Banat remains unclear how this small chapter en- addendum. Both regions’ imperial history hances the general framework of the book. under the Habsburg Monarchy is reiter- Tomić seems to use the Banat comparison ated in a relatively fair way. However, to make the point that the Vojvodina is by the impact of the Habsburg legacy on re- no means special, but that similar referenc- cent times is addressed only in terms of es to the imperial past redefined borders the emergence of regional narratives back elsewhere, too. then, which continue to influence present Tomić suceeds in demonstrating how regional self-definitions. The historical the regionalist movement in the Vojvodina perception of the Monarchy most returned to ancient imperial legacies in or- certainly plays a role in present shapings der to bring home its political point. Impe- of the regions at stake. rial times were idealised, and the borders At the end of the book, the author ex- redefined in an imperial spirit. Contrary to plains in his concluding remarks (11 pages) Kosovo, the second Serbian autonomous how phantom borders within the national province in socialist Yugoslavia, the Vojvo­ borders of two different countries, Serbia dina did not evolve into an independent and Romania (although some regions are state. It nurtured its imperial legacy to im- overlapping or intersecting) have appeared agine a specific regionalism rooted in Hab- in postsocialism. Phantom borders are bor- sburgian Central Europe. The ‘national’ ders that no longer have an actual political framework thereby is bypassed. shape. However, instead of disappearing, If phantom borders are former political they become dormant. When the sociopo- borders that continue to take effect in the litical opportunity arises, they reemerge present, then it remains a question whether in the context of appropriating political the concept can be convincingly used for claims and behaviours as well as social ac- the Vojvodina and the Banat. Here, we do tions and reactions of the populace within not have previously existing borders; they those borders. actually continue to exist. As said, we are not talking about state borders here; yet, Haşim Koç (Zagreb / Ankara) for the people living in and around these two regions the regional borders are very clear and well-defined. And this is true not only in terms of habit and tradition, but also in terms of current administrative