Citizens in the maelstrom of change: Individual and collective experience in Serbia in times of transformation

In analyzing any society, particularly those which, like Serbia, have undergone deep ruptures and turmoil in a short period of time, the perspective of everyday life and ordinary people's experiences is indispensable. In addition, the application of current sociological and anthropological theories of everyday life on today's Serbia, seeking to capture personalized interpretations whereby ordinary citizens make sense of all that has happened to them during the past fifteen years, can yield broader theoretical implications. For, from this perspective it is easier to identify the limited and partial nature of various theories articulated in other, stable societies. In this overview some of these theories are marked along with starting premises of the research, and key events and symbolically charged concepts of the most recent Serbian history that will be the focus of the analysis of ordinary people's narratives collected through targeted fieldwork.