Borderlines

July 2024 – ongoing

Organized by WCSCD in collaboration with Sreda Obitaninya

 

WCSCD is honored to announce a series of lectures, workshops and gatherings with and at Sreda Obitaninya, a cultural space established by two scientists from Saint Petersburg. This collaboration with Sreda Obitaninya is an extension of our educational program and alliances that welcome new communities that call Belgrade their home in recent years.

 

According to Chicana feminist Gloria Anzaldúa, the term “borderlands” refers to both a physical and metaphorical space of crossing and intersection, particularly concerning cultural, social, and identity boundaries. In her seminal work, “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza”, Anzaldúa describes the borderlands as a space of hybridity and tension where different cultures, languages, and identities meet and interact. For Anzaldúa, the borderlands are not just geographic regions, but also psychological, social, and spiritual spaces where individuals navigate and negotiate their complex identities. This concept highlights the experiences of those who live on the margins or in between different worlds, emphasizing the fluidity and multiplicity of identity and the transformative potential of these in-between spaces. The borderlands represent a place of struggle but also a site of creativity and resistance, where new identities and ways of being can emerge.

 

In the post-pandemic world, we have witnessed the migration of humans and more-than-humans due to climate change, wars, political and economic recessions, and tighter border controls of the European Union. In the past three years, the influx of Russian communities and those from economically struggling regions, engaging in precarious work in Belgrade, has become our everyday reality.

 

Through collaboration with Sreda Obitaninya, we aspire to equip both locals and new neighbors with the tools needed to comprehend and navigate a place like Belgrade. This will allow us to situate ourselves within the city and facilitate the collective production and exchange of knowledge.

 

The city of Belgrade, with its rich history of migration, has long played a pivotal role in fostering Global South alliances and navigating Cold War politics between the so-called Former East and Former West, while consistently remaining on the periphery of the European Union. However, its troubled history is marred by power struggles and political missteps, which have ignited deadly civil conflicts throughout the Yugoslav region. In the present day, as Belgrade undergoes gentrification and the commercialization of its public spaces, new waves of migration are once again transforming the city into a complex and multifaceted environment.

 

Bringing different communities together is essential for fostering a harmonious and progressive society. When diverse groups interact, they become more familiar with each other's cultures, experiences and perspectives, which helps reduce stereotypes and prejudices. This engagement promotes mutual respect and understanding, leading to social cohesion.

 

Using culture as a means of integrating different communities enriches the social fabric. Cultural exchange broadens the collective worldview and promotes global awareness, fostering a deeper appreciation for the richness of human diversity and helping to overcome the isolation of diaspora communities.

 

The encounters in Sreda Obitaninya that will start from July will share marginal histories, silenced histories, from feminist and partial perspectives that will serve as a platform for exchange of ideas and dialogue through presentation and workshops. 

 

Format

​

Every month we will be organizing lectures, workshops, and gatherings led by local artists, curators, and cultural workers that will be set around the extensive history of Belgrade that is relevant to understanding the current city's constantly changing environment and social fabric.

 

Migrant communities have the potential to create a wide array of presentations through collective music listening, reading groups, food tastings, and workshops that share their culture, experiences, knowledge, and perspectives with diverse audiences. Storytelling sessions provide a platform to share folktales, personal stories, and historical narratives from their countries of origin, fostering understanding and empathy. Discussions with speakers from diverse backgrounds tackling topics such as cultural identity and migration policies. Cross-cultural workshops foster mutual understanding by allowing participants to share their backgrounds, beliefs, and customs interactively. Anti-discrimination sessions can raise awareness about challenges like racism and xenophobia, promoting inclusivity and respect.

​

1) July 4, 7 pm

Part 1. Feminizing the City: A Workshop on Gender, Mapping, and Memory

A workshop with Dunja Karanović

​

Language: English

Duration: 2 hours

Admission fee: 900 RSD

 

We invite you to take part in Feminizing the City: A Workshop on Gender, Mapping, and Memory, led by journalist and visual artist Dunja Karanović. This workshop will serve as a follow-up to our Walking as a Way of Knowing program, a series of artist-led walks organized in Belgrade from March to June 2024 by the educational platform WCSCD.

​

Participants will have a chance to engage in a feminist reading of cultural policy and politics of remembrance in the city of Belgrade, investigating questions like who gets commemorated in public spaces, how women’s bodies, names, and actions show up in monuments, what’s missing and what we can learn from looking at margins.

​

Street names, squares, and monuments often reflect a revisionist, one-sided historical narrative that celebrates violence and oppression – by looking into what gets sidelined and forgotten, we will attempt to co-create a more caring perspective, mapping out the contributions of feminist activists, scholars, artists, and community leaders.

​

By engaging in collective reading, discussion, mapping, and collage, we will have an opportunity to learn about women who shaped the city’s history with their pioneering initiatives, personal histories, and artistic endeavors. 

 

2) July 18, 7 pm

Part 2. “Not in Our Name”: Women’s Anti-war Movement in the 1990’s

A lecture by Dunja Karanović

 

Language: English

Duration: 2 hours

Admission fee: 900 RSD

 

A lecture and discussion continuing our exploration of feminist perspectives on Belgrade’s history. The 1990s conflicts in the ex-Yugoslav region prompted a re-traditionalization of gender roles and heightened nationalism, evident in contemporary cultural policies and public spaces.

​

The lecture will delve into the historical and social backdrop of the 1990s Yugoslav wars, highlighting the critical role women played in opposing the conflict. It will cover the formation and actions of anti-war groups and their connections with the Yugoslav feminist traditions of the 1970s, focusing on prominent figures like Žarana Papić, Jelena Šantić, Borka Pavićević, the origins of Women in Black (Žene u crnom), Center for Anti-war Action, and other initiatives, their strategies, challenges, and legacy of bravery, resilience, and solidarity. Part of the lecture will also involve discussing how remembrance culture, archiving, and feminist heritage equip us for reading, recognizing, and resisting revisionism and media obfuscation in today’s increasingly polarized world.

​

Location: Sreda Obitaniya, Šafarikova 6, Belgrade

​

Dunja Karanović is a visual artist and journalist based in Belgrade, Serbia. She holds an MA degree from the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Policy and Management at the University of Arts in Belgrade and an MFA from the China Academy of Arts. In her practice, she explores ways of bridging cultural policy, theory, and practice through interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches that foster radical friendship and collective care. Her research is focused on mainstreaming care in cultural institutions and reimagining them as slower, softer, and more inclusive spaces. She is a regular contributor of Liceulice magazine. She is passionate about feminist art histories, embroidery, the small, and the marginal.

​

3) August 1, 7 pm

Feminism in Iran

A lecture by Rosie Raha

 

Language: English

Duration: 2 hours

Admission fee: 900 RSD

 

This lecture will explore the history and current state of women's rights in Iran, beginning with the first women's rights movement during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution between 1905 and 1911. While significant legal advancements were made, any activity towards achieving more freedom and rights for women was allowed only under government supervision during Reza Shah's rule. After Reza Shah, during the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, new groups and organizations were formed, but their activities were also under government control and monitoring. Most of the legal advancements made during the previous decades were slowly dismantled following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, leading to increasing restrictions on women under the new regime. Despite widespread protests, the regime's grip has remained unyielding.

 

We will examine Iran's Islamic constitution, where political leadership is dominated by clergymen and religious figures. The Supreme Leader holds absolute authority over politics, religion, governance, military power, and social affairs, and has the power to implement laws impacting and discriminating against women. Beyond these laws, we will discuss the institutional misogyny evident in daily life, such as the criminalization of non-compliance with 'Islamic standards' of dress, leading to severe penalties. Women live under constant surveillance, stifling their individuality and personal freedom.

 

The focus will be on the resilient ways a large group of Iranians, both women and men, resist oppression and strive for self-expression despite restrictions on forming groups. In a society where a woman's body is seen as a source of sin, any act of feminine self-expression is attacked. Yet, more women than ever are fighting back in unique ways. When the regime constrains women within rigid societal frames, even the smallest public acts of femininity become powerful symbols of defiance.

​

Location: Sreda Obitaniya, Šafarikova 6, Belgrade

 

Rosie Raha is an accomplished educator and researcher with a diverse background in English Language and Literature, Fine Arts, and Art History. Born in Iran, she pursued a BA in English Literature and explored her passion for fine arts by attending classes at the University of Art in Tehran. Preparing for an MA in Art History and Research, Rosie also wrote a column on fine arts for a widely circulated newspaper in Iran.

 

Throughout her career, Rosie has continually engaged in writing and painting, learning from various artists and educators. Her professional experience spans multiple roles in education, including assisting a social worker for a Dutch NGO in Iran, serving as an educational manager at a language academy, and working as a researcher at the University of Medical Sciences, focusing on the internationalization of education.

 

Rosie's international experience includes teaching English in China for two years. In 2021, she moved to Serbia to pursue an MA in Cultural Policy and Management. Subsequently, she worked as a 4th grade teacher at an international school in Belgrade. Over the past year, Rosie has shifted her focus towards painting and writing. Together with her husband, she is developing the idea of opening a cultural center that emphasizes permaculture and sustainable practices in art.