Project description: Through the job shadowing model, guest expert Dr. Ivan Rajković trained members of the host organization in the basic principles of ethnographic methods and qualitative research. Special attention was given to the challenges of engaged research, particularly the ethical issues involved when one of the parties is also an activist. An overview of the social dynamics related to ecological problems in Serbia and the region was conducted, focusing on both the expert’s ethnographic literature and the host’s activist experience, Bojana Minović. The majority of the time was spent on field visits to rivers and villages in the Ibar river basin, which had been affected by hydroelectric plants, and where locals and activists had previously mobilized against them. This included 12 full-day visits to rivers, along with conversations with locals, visitors to swimming areas and spas, and activists. One key outcome was the discovery of the social history of the Kraljevo region and the Ibar river basin, with a particular focus on the local bathing culture along the Ibar and its surroundings. Since the main activist struggles for the rivers in this area took place in recent years, the host and guest expert concentrated on conducting reconstructive interviews about activist practices to gain a comprehensive understanding of the pivotal events shaping this ecological struggle. During the field visits, they focused on the material effects of new infrastructure on the river basins (such as the consequences of constructing concrete dams, changes in water levels and flow in the Sokolja and Ribnica rivers, changes in the fish population, and the selection of bathing spots), which they documented through photographs and video recordings. A particularly significant aspect of the project was the examination of the civic bathing culture along the Ibar river and its evolving history. A large amount of audio, video, and photo material was collected, which will be selected and prepared for inclusion in a documentary film or exhibition following the completion of the job shadowing program. As the Ibar river will face direct threats in the coming period, this job shadowing focused on collecting a “memory archive” related to the river, which will be presented to the Kraljevo audience in the coming months. According to the guest expert, Bojana Minović adopted the classic techniques of ethnographic interviewing and participant observation, demonstrating a high degree of reflection in her research practice. The expert also believes that this experience will aid her and her colleagues in their future activist work and contribute to a more comprehensive documentation of local ecological culture.
Grant amount: 477.000,00 RSD
