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The Ethnicization of Agrarian Reforms: the Case of Interwar Yugoslavia”

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The Ethnicization of Agrarian Reforms: the Case of Interwar Yugoslavia” Title: “The Ethnicization of Agrarian Reforms: The Case of Interwar Yugoslavia” Author: Christian Giordano How to cite this article: Giordano, Christian. 2014. “The Ethnicization of Agrarian Reforms: The Case of Interwar Yugoslavia”. Martor 19: 31‐42. Published by: Editura MARTOR (MARTOR Publishing House), Muzeul Țăranului Român (The Museum of the Romanian Peasant) URL: http://martor.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro/archive/martor‐19‐2014/ Martor (The Museum of the Romanian Peasant Anthropology Review) is a peer‐reviewed academic journal established in 1996, with a focus on cultural and visual anthropology, ethnology, museum studies and the dialogue among these disciplines. Martor review is published by the Museum of the Romanian Peasant. Its aim is to provide, as widely as possible, a rich content at the highest academic and editorial standards for scientific, educational and (in)formational goals. Any use aside from these purposes and without mentioning the source of the article(s) is prohibited and will be considered an infringement of copyright. Martor (Revue d’Anthropologie du Musée du Paysan Roumain) est un journal académique en système peer‐review fondé en 1996, qui se concentre sur l’anthropologie visuelle et culturelle, l’ethnologie, la muséologie et sur le dialogue entre ces disciplines. La revue Martor est publiée par le Musée du Paysan Roumain. Son aspiration est de généraliser l’accès vers un riche contenu au plus haut niveau du point de vue académique et éditorial pour des objectifs scientifiques, éducatifs et informationnels. Toute utilisation au‐delà de ces buts et sans mentionner la source des articles est interdite et sera considérée une violation des droits de l’auteur. Martor is indexed by EBSCO and CEEOL. The Ethnicization of Agrarian Reforms: The Case of Interwar Yugoslavia Christian Giordano Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Fribourg ABSTRACT KEYWORDS Land reform is a legal means for settling the agrarian question. In central and Agrarian reforms, ethnicization, South-Eastern Europe where farming is a major occupation, such reforms have interwar Yugoslavia, nationalism, served to nationalize – ethnically homogenize – the nation’s land. he analysis modernization of such reforms in Yugoslavia during the period between the two world wars shows how land was systematically distributed in favour of those who were part of the titular nation while, at the same time, discriminating against ethnic minorities. Instead of settling the agrarian question, these reforms fuelled the conlict between ethno-national groups to the point of a quasi-civil war situ- ation. he social memory of the discriminated groups is still today coined by these negative historical experiences, as the case of Kosovo show his formula has guided the whole Europe- Introduction: an history from the early 1800s on. In terms “Staatsnation” and the “Purity” Myth of territory, this motto, forerunner of such tragic events, can be phrased as follows; oth in Western and Eastern Europe each “nation“ has a right to its “land“ which the speciic combination of terri- is under the monopoly of one “nation“ only. Btory, language, creed, citizenship It is not surprising that the past two cen- and / or nationality, is generally perceived turies have been marked by repeated eforts as an invariable and inviolable heritage of to make the single national territories more individual and collective “identities” (Con- and more ethnically and culturally homo- te 1995, 138). It is a widespread belief that geneous, especially in Central and Eastern can be traced back even to the most com- Europe where the principle of “Staatsna- mon aspects of everyday life. his belief tion“ was applied much later than in West- reaches its political-institutional achieve- ern Europe; that is, only ater the downfall ment in the concept of “Staatsnation” and of the imperial “Vielvölkerstaaten“. he pro- its various practical applications that can be cesses of “ethno-cultural re-composition“ found, with few exceptions, throughout the aiming at “ethnic purity“ of national States Old Continent. he idea of “Staatsnation”, a have been carried out through a fearsome German term of French origin as Stéphane and ongoing series of boundary revisions, Pierré-Caps aptly pointed out (Pierré-Caps forced assimilations, expulsions, aimed and 1995, 56), is based on the doctrine according planned immigrations, deportations, puri- to which each “nation“ must have its own ications and ethnic wars, genocides, res- territorial State and each State must consist torations and secessions. he Nazi detrac- of one “nation“ only (Altermatt 1996, 53). tors of the “schwebendes Volkstum“ (Conte 31 Christian Giordano 1995: 54), the enthusiastic upholders of the but members of social strata that had noth- Hitlerian “gardener State“ (Bauman 1996, ing or little in common with the ruling class 43 f.), and the “ethnic cleansing engineers“ were involved in the expulsion process as in the Balkans (Grmek, Gjidara and Šimac well. During the great „Crisis in the Orient“, 1993), notwithstanding the use of diferent which led to the bloody Russian-Turkish means, share a common end; the elimina- war, from 1875 to 1878 alone a million and tion of any “ethno-cultural heterogeneity“ a half people were repatriated (Sundhaussen within the State where they live and act. 1997, 87). Considering the times and the Although the above-mentioned phe- area involved, it was an exceptional move- nomena refer mainly to Central and East- ment of people. ern Europe, it would be a mistake to think he second virulent phase was between that Western Europe has not been afected 1913 and 1925. It was characterized by the by similar shock waves of homogenization. forced transfer of whole minoritarian ethnic In fact, through the “très longue durèe“ groups and yet it was internationally recog- perspective there is the pressing sequence nized and guaranteed. In the diplomatic of the “Albigensian Crusade“ (1208-1244), language of those days, it was euphemisti- the “Massacre of St. Bartholomew“ (1572), cally termed as a „population exchange“. the expulsion of “marranos“ and “moriscos“ Some examples illustrate the „homogeniza- from Portugal and Spain (1492), the various tion“ strategies through „ethnic separation“. wars of religion which bloodied Western Substantial groups of Albanians from Koso- Europe during the Reformation and Coun- vo and western Macedonia were transferred ter-Reformation (15th and 16th century), to Turkey ater the Balkan Wars (1913) up to purifying attempts which later will be mainly because of their religion. Particular- essential to the slow construction of future ly ater the creation of the Kingdom of the “Staatnationen“ in this area of the Old Con- Serbians, Croatians and Slovenians, they tinent. Probably, it would be anachronistic were substituted by Serbian, Montenegrin, to label these cases as deliberate “ethno- Croatian and Slovenian people with the cultural homogenization“; however, avoid- intention of „re-Slavizing“ the region. he ing the trap of evolutionary mechanism, it so-called „population exchange“ between would be a good idea to keep in mind the Greece and Turkey was even more dramat- “time lag“ or, better yet, the “décalage his- ic. It was decreed by the Treaty of Lausanne torique“ between Western and Eastern Eu- in 1923, which ratiied a series of reciprocal rope rather than a presumed substantial expulsions and hasty migrations caused by diference. the Greek military catastrophe during the Four main periods can be identiied in reckless campaign in Asia Minor. Ater the the various processes of “ethnic separation“ tremendous defeat, Greece was overrun by that concerned almost all the “Staatna- refugees from the coasts of Western Ana- tionen“ of Central and Eastern Europe over tolia plus the Greeks from the Black Sea the last two centuries. heir virulence was area and the Caucasus who, since 1917, had laden with consequences for the structure been leeing from the repressions of the new of the entire continent. Bolshevik regime. A country of 4,5 million he irst period was predominantly in inhabitants faced the arrival of 1,3 million the Balkans, immediately ater the creation refugees. At the same time, the „population of the irst Nation-states in the 19th century. exchange“ provided for the departure of the Vast sections of populations of Turkish ori- “citizens of Islam faith“, mostly Turkish, but gin or simply of Muslim faith were forced also Albanians. to leave the region. As administrators and he third phase of “ethnic homogeniza- civil servants of the Ottoman Empire, they tion“ includes the decade between 1940 and did indeed represent the hated occupiers, 1950 that was characterized by the Nazi 32 The Ethnicization of Agrarian Reforms: The Case of Interwar Yugoslavia policy of annihilation, transfer and expul- World War through a multi-ethnic and sion of whole ethnic groups or supposed-so multinational “logic“, namely Yugoslavia, and by Stalinist deportations and purges. the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. New Along with the holocaust of the so-called and old nations, originated from this pro- “transnational minorities“ (Kende 1992, 13 cess, are all based on the “Staatsnation“ f.), that is Jews and Roma, there were mas- principle. herefore, the war in Bosnia is sive population movements in all of Central fully in tune with this tragic, yet century- and Eastern Europe which changed the eth- old “logic“ of „homogenization“. Given the nic map of this part of the continent consid- historical background, it would have been erably. 11,5 million Germans were expelled quite surprising if the war had not broken from the “Ostgebiete“, while 3 million Poles, out. he Treaty of Dayton, even with ob- 2 million of which from the regions that be- vious formal diferences, is nothing but a came part of the Soviet Union ater the Sec- reissue of the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) in ond World War, settled in Silesia and in the which an “ethnic re-composition“ project south of Eastern Prussia. hus, Poland be- lurks behind a hypocritical façade.
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