Making Sense of Intense Times: Narratives and Perceptions of the Serbian Protest Movement

Abstract

On November 1, 2024, the collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy killed 16 people, sparking nationwide protests against political corruption in Serbia, whose epitome was embodied in this disaster. Demonstrations spread from Novi Sad to other cities, as students from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of Belgrade have initiated university blockades that soon expanded across the country. What began as demands for accountability evolved into calls for early elections and a transitional government. Seen as a turning point, the movement has redefined Serbia’s political landscape, with students portraying their mobilization as the foundation of a new, democratic Serbia beyond entrenched authoritarian legacies. Drawing on interviews with activists and students involved in the mobilization, the article examines how the acceleration of cognitive, affective, and relational dynamics in intense times reshapes participants' interactions with the past, present, and future. By focusing on activists’ perceptions of temporalities and their uses of time, the paper contributes to the literature on intense times of protest, focusing on the socially constructed nature of time during mobilizations and pointing to the relevance of activists’ experiences in signifying the intensity of the protest times they live and build.

Presentation of the research

Stefan Lazic, post-Doc, Dipartimento di Economia e Management

Discussant

Alice Dal Gobbo, post-Doc, Scuola di Studi Internazionali