Contributed by Irena Milatovic and Vanja Mikulic, Montenegro National VAW Monitors

The Center for Women and Peace Education – ANIMA, in its 2-semester, inter-disciplinary program of Women's Studies, intends to activate and bond the students of Women's Studies through one common research project during the teaching period. Through the workshops, students come to an agreement to research a project in accordance with the interests they have. In a democratic atmosphere, in which each student can show her ideas, the common topic is to be determined and the best methods are to be chosen, in order to involve students as much as possible from all over Montenegro. The analysis and the interpretation of the results will also be conducted by the students of Women's Studies.

In 2005, at the common meetings, of the different topics, the largest number of students wanted to be part of the research defined as “Women – Nationalism, Activism, Feminism”.

This topic is a result of the inquiry of the students about the passivity of women in Montenegro, and is related to the events and changes which emerged in the last ten years, when nationalism was a topic related to the cause of the wars in the region, and at the same time, other methods of organizing women have appeared, along with women’s activism in the whole territory of ex-Yugoslavia and in Montenegro.

Even if there is an active women’s non-governmental sector in Montenegro, students have the impression that their activism is not recognized to the extent to which they are active, and there is no involvement of a larger group of women in order to achieve changes. The students agreed to question the thoughts/opinion of women on nationalism, activism and feminism using a written questionnaire, as well as to investigate their relation towards religion in order to better understand what women think and the way in which they are ready to be engaged. The sample, consisting of women in their “middle-age” (40-50 years) has been determined. This sample has been chosen as an adequate one, since the students concluded that women in this period of life have accomplished some life tasks and made certain decisions (related to family and their occupation), and also they have life experience in the socialist system, as the older ones have been through the period of transformation of society and the system. So, they could have independently-formed attitudes.

Wars in the region are related to nationalism, the return to religion, every type of poverty, and the multiparty system.  The civil sector, and the appearance of activism of women through NGOs based on feminist foundations, ideas and requests for achieving gender equality, are the contexts which are present in global crises and chaotic social moments – which last a long time, and which definitely make an impact on the functioning and position of women in Montenegro and their “state of mind”.

Publication is available only in Montenegrin.

Source: Center for Women and Peace Education – ANIMA