East of Ethnia Podcast

Eric Gordy
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  • SOCIAL SCIENCES

Balkan politics, society, and culture, with some forays into other things. ericgordy.substack.com

  1. How to read a propaganda piece

    FEB 6

    How to read a propaganda piece

    This is just a little exercise to help people see the structure and principal conceits of a propagandistic article from a sleazy tabloid. For anyone who wants to follow along, this is the article that was used: https://www.novosti.rs/vesti/politika/1572543/kako-filozofski-fakultet-nisu-postao-politicka-scena-plenum-studenata-blokadera-bez-vecinske-podrske-studenata-legitimiteta This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ericgordy.substack.com

    13 min
  2. Za lom spremni

    FEB 3

    Za lom spremni

    Hajde mala da pravimo lom. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ericgordy.substack.com

    10 min
  3. Living with the monster

    JAN 26

    Living with the monster

    Some things that the racist violence being promoted in the United States has in common with the violent ethnonationalism that destroyed the former Yugoslavia: they both happened in societies where most people thought the place they lived was too peaceful and progressive for the horror to be possible, and they both produced strong contemporaneous resistance, both from ordinary people refusing the hatred and from intellectuals articulating the alternative. One of the leaders of the Belgrade Circle of Independent Intellectuals (popularly, the “Belgrade Circle”), formed in 1992 to reply to hatred, violence, and totalitarianism, was the novelist and literary critic Radomir Konstantinović, who warned about how easily totalitarianism and violence can begin to appear normal, and to make themselves invisible. The message seems timely again now, so I thought I would share some parts of it. The trsanslations from Konstantinović are my impromptu ones, and they are kind of free. You can find the original text that is being used here: https://portalforum.rs/sta-su-govorili-radomir-konstantinovic-ziveti-s-cudovistem/ . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ericgordy.substack.com

    13 min
  4. Will lustration magically solve the problem of corruption?

    JAN 20

    Will lustration magically solve the problem of corruption?

    Lustration hasn’t transformed the political and social environment in other places, and it won’t do it in Serbia either. It’s actually a pretty weak initiative in most instances. So this makes Vučić’s responses even more interesting. He compares the proposals to what he calls the periods of “terror” and “revenge” after 1945, and to what he calls “attempts to ban the political opposition” after 2000. Both claims are comically overstated, but they reveal two things: 1) who he identifies with, and 2) that he knows something the public might not know, which is what constitutes the basic criminal character of his regime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ericgordy.substack.com

    8 min
  5. The Generalštab has fallen

    12/19/2025

    The Generalštab has fallen

    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ericgordy.substack.com

    10 min
  6. A small margin on a low turnout

    11/25/2025

    A small margin on a low turnout

    After Milorad Dodik was removed from office and temporarily banned from holding office or engaging in party activity, the move was on to install his successor. Siniša Karan seems to have come out just barely ahead (but watch for challenges), but a brief look inside the results suggests that the party that has held power over the last two decades should not be feeling too secure. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ericgordy.substack.com

    5 min
  7. Finally some movement on EU accession

    11/17/2025

    Finally some movement on EU accession

    Here is the press release: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/11/17/eu-opens-last-accession-negotiating-cluster-with-albania-on-resources-agriculture-and-cohesion/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ericgordy.substack.com

    7 min
  8. Surprise lifting of US sanctions against Dodik and co.

    10/30/2025

    Surprise lifting of US sanctions against Dodik and co.

    Here are links to some of the sources mentioned in the video: The statement/nonstatement from the US Department of State: https://www.danas.rs/svet/stejt-department-o-ukidanju-sankcija-dodiku/ Dodik’s lobbying campaign targeting individuals in the Tr*mp inner circle: https://n1info.ba/vijesti/nyt-lobisti-prikazali-dodika-kao-zrtvu-politickih-progona-uz-cijenu-lobiranja-od-300-hiljada-dolara-mjesecno/ That weird text by Roger Stone: http://bit.ly/4oOXA6m This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ericgordy.substack.com

    10 min
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About

Balkan politics, society, and culture, with some forays into other things. ericgordy.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Eric Gordy
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Eric Gordy
  • Show Website
    East of Ethnia Podcast