VUKOVAR IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY: SOCIAL CAUSES OF VIOLENCE

Temeljno pitanje koje se nalazi u osnovi ovog doktorskog rada odnosi se na propitivanje mogućnosti provedbe sveobuhvatnog kvalitativnog znanstvenog istraživanja vukovarskog društvenog konteksta za razdoblje 1945. – 1991. godine, s ciljem da se istraže i objasne višestruki uzroci nasilja koji su doveli do masovnih zločina u Vukovaru 1991. godine. Stoga se analize kritičkog pristupa usmjeravaju na socijalne konstrukcije realnosti (Berger i Luckmann, 1966), pri čemu se fokusira na to kako subjektivna značenja postaju objektivne činjenice, te se problematizira ono što je razvidno, stvarno i razumljivo samo po sebi, dočim se dovodi u pitanje stajališta uvriježenih znanja o istraživanom fenomenu. U ideji je socijalnog konstruktivizma stoga pretpostavka o konstruktivnoj snazi jezika i simbola u društvu koji se pokušava spoznati, pa se u ovom doktorskom radu kritički pristupa temeljnoj zadaći rekonstrukcije i dekonstrukcije paradoksalne modernizacije vukovarskog društva (Rogić, 2000) kvalitativnom metodologijom utemeljene teorije kako bi se rasvijetlio totalitarni svijet života i rada ljudi i pronašli uzroci društvenog nasilja koji su 1991. godine eskalirali počinjenjem strašnih zločina. Na taj način se kroz kombinaciju induktivne i deduktivne logike razvijaju hipotetički odnosi i sudovi na temelju kojih su definirani u konačnici društveni uzroci nasilja – uzroci počinjenih ratnih zločina na vukovarskom području 1991. godine. Na temelju provedenog kvalitativnog istraživanja unutar pet agregiranih vremenskih nizova za razdoblje 1945. – 1991. godine (1945. – 1951.; 1952. – 1962.; 1963. – 1972.; 1973. – 1980.; 1981. – 1991.) se iskristaliziralo pet dimenzija procesa paradoksalne modernizacije vukovarskoga društva: pet društvenih procesa (demokratizacija, socijalizacija, industrijalizacija, birokratizacija i militarizacija) koji se međusobno isprepliću i s različitim intenzitetom oblikuju i transformiraju narav ljudi, njihove međusobne odnose, institucije i društveni sustav u cjelini. Doktorskim se radom utvrdilo da se od trenutka kada je završio II. svjetski rat na vukovarskom području izgrađuje društvo koje se temelji na zločinu – zločinu sofisticiranog nasilja iznutra. Etatističkom homogenizacijom unutar totalitarne države radni ljudi i građani vukovarske komune/općine prolaze kroz iznimno bolan i nasilan proces transformacije društva u kojem se njihova osobnost reprogramira totalitarnom socijalizacijom i priprema za život u permanentnoj krizi društva u nastajanju. U matrici strukturnih i interaktivnih odnosa i ponašanja unutar vukovarskog društva totalitarna komunistička elita socijalno konstruira racionaliziranu fikciju socijalističkog društva – totalitarnog društva – u okviru kojega suvereno vlada posredstvom totalitarne birokracije. Ova je instrumentalna studija slučaja 6 metodologijom utemeljene teorije pokazala da se, suprotno uvriježenomu znanstvenomu diskursu vezanom uz razloge raspada federativne socijalističke Jugoslavije, primarni uzrok društvenog nasilja ne nalazi u hrvatskom nacionalizmu. On se nalazi u sofisticiranom nasilju iznutra: totalitarnoj socijalizaciji koja je proizvela sustav totalitarne vladavine komunističke elite i birokracije te atomizirala radničke mase, dočim je onda totalitarna osobnost i socijalistički mentalni sklop atomiziranih pojedinaca generirala devijantna socijalistička društvena ponašanja, odnose i razmišljanja koja su rezultirala eskalacijom društvenog nasilja. Stoga jugoslavenska inačica totalitarizma – samoupravni socijalizam kao i svi drugi totalitarizmi progresivno generira društveno nasilje, u ovom slučaju sofisticirano nasilje iznutra dočim u procesu svog kognitivnog oslobađanja atomizirani pojedinci zbog gubitka ideološke legitimacije totalitarne komunističke elite, i u uvjetima duboke društvene (gospodarske i političke) krize, odgovaraju zahtjevom za afirmacijom svojih individualnih i kolektivnih prava, uporabom sile. Nacionalizam srpske nacionalne manjine, premda ključan u homogenizaciji srpske zajednice na području vukovarske općine, ne bi generirao nasilje u razmjeru u kojem to jest, da atomizirani pojedinci nisu primarno bili predisponirani sofisticiranim nasiljem iznutra, i da kroz devijantnu praksu samoupravnog socijalizma nisu izgradili patološku mržnju i paranoidni strah prema svemu što je hrvatsko. Integrativni karakter srpstva u okviru federativne Jugoslavije omogućio je srpskoj nacionalnoj manjini u vukovarskoj komuni/općini da nesmetano razvija svoj nacionalni identitet, koji je kontinuirano osnaživala totalitarna komunistička elita selektivnim pamćenjem i traumom kolektivne žrtve ustaškog terora. Istovremeno, kao sekundarni – vanjski čimbenik koji doprinosi eskalaciji društvenog nasilja na vukovarskom području 1991. godine, nalazi se u činjenici da je oružanu pobunu i otvorenu agresiju na Republiku Hrvatsku omogućila srpska vlast u Beogradu financirajući i naoružavajući srpsku nacionalnu manjinu, te pružajući joj svu vojnu i logističku potporu preko jedinica JNA i paravojnih postrojbi iz Srbije. U toj je kriznoj situaciji, veću ulogu nacionalizam odigrao ne toliko u hrvatskoj, koliko u srpskoj zajednici, zato što je većina hrvatskih atomiziranih pojedinca gotovo do kraja vjerovala da će nastaviti mirno živjeti sa svojim susjedima Srbima u socijalističkoj Jugoslaviji. Međutim, potrebno je naglasiti da je hrvatski patriotizam odigrao ključnu ulogu u tom trenutku, jer je uspio homogenizirati većinu atomiziranih pojedinaca da zajedno s endogenim propagatorima promjena organiziraju obranu hrvatske zajednice sada kad je njezin opstanak bio ugrožen. 7 Ovo kvalitativno istraživanje instrumentalne studije slučaja metodologijom utemeljene teorije potvrdilo je inicijalnu hipotezu doktorskog rada da je proučavanjem vukovarskog društvenog kontekstu za razdoblje 1945. – 1991. godine moguće objasniti društvene uzroke nasilja koji su doveli do masovnih zločina počinjenih u Vukovaru nakon okupacije grada. Na taj je način definiran znanstveni okvir za daljnja istraživanja kojima bi se omogućilo generiranje supstantivne teorije na tragu metodologije utemeljene teorije i spoznaja do kojih se došlo u ovom doktorskom radu.This doctoral thesis brings about the question whether it is possible to conduct an allencompassing qualitative social research about Vukovar’s society – its social context for the period 1945 – 1991, with the aim to explore and explain multiple social causes of violence that contributed to escalation of violence and massive war crimes committed in Vukovar in 1991. Therefore, the critical approach used in conducted social analysis is complemented with the social construction of reality (Berger and Luckmann, 1966) theoretical framework which enables one to focus on subjective meanings as objective facts and problematize that which is obvious, real and understandable in its right. In doing so, it also questions contemporary understanding of the phenomenon in question. The idea of social constructivism therefore relates to the constructive power of language and symbols in a society that one tries to comprehend which in this case is to enable application of the critical approach through grounded theory methodology in order to reconstruct and deconstruct Vukovar society’s paradoxical modernization (Rogić, 2000). At the same time, it enable better understanding of the totalitarian world of people’s everyday life and work with the aim to determine initial causes of social violence that have escalated into the terrible war crimes committed in 1991. In this way, through inductive and deductive combination of logics, hypothetical relations and judgments are developed which are the foundation for the definition of social causes of violence. Based on the conducted qualitative social research it is possible to follow five dimensions of the Vukovar society’s paradoxical modernization process for the above mentioned period (through five aggregated time sequences: 1945 – 1951; 1952 – 1962; 1963 – 1972; 1973 – 1980; 1981 – 1991): five social processes (democratization, socialization, industrialization, bureaucratization and militarization) that are mutually intertwined and with different intensity shape and transform human nature, people’s relations, institutions and social system as a whole. This doctoral thesis has determined that since the end of the World War II in the Vukovar region its society is developed based on crime – the crime stemming from the sophisticated violence from within. Etatistic homogenization inside the totalitarian state puts citizens of the Vukovar commune/municipality through extremely painful and violent process of social transformation and reprograms their personalities with totalitarian socialization and in doing so, prepares them for the life in the society of permanent making and crises. In the structural and interactive matrix of social relations and behavior inside the Vukovar society totalitarian communist elite socially constructs the socialist society rationalized fiction – a totalitarian 9 society – which is confidently governed by them through totalitarian bureaucracy. This instrumental study case conducted through grounded theory methodology indicates, contrary to the established scientific discourse related to the disintegration of the Federative Socialist Yugoslavia that the primary cause of social violence is to be found not in Croatian nationalism. It is located in the sophisticated violence from within: the totalitarian socialization which has produced a system of totalitarian communist elite's rule with the support of totalitarian bureaucracy along with atomized working masses. Thereby, totalitarian personality and socialist mental structure of the atomized individuals have generated deviant socialist social behavior, relations and reflections, and resulted in escalation of social violence. Therefore Yugoslav version of totalitarianism – socialist self-management – same as all other totalitarianisms, progressively generates social violence, in this case sophisticated violence within, and by doing so, in the process of cognitive liberation of the atomized individuals, due to diminished ideological legitimation of the totalitarian communist elite, and under the conditions of deep social (economic and political) crises, they answer to the demand for affirmation of their individual and collective rights with a use of force. Even though Serbian national minority's nationalism is crucial for the homogenization of the Serbian community in the Vukovar municipality, it wouldn’t have generated the violence in the scale as it did, if their atomized individuals have not have been predisposed to the influence of the sophisticated violence from within, and if they did not develop through deviant socialist self-management praxis a pathological hate and paranoid fear of everything that is Croatian. Serbian ethnic integrative character within Federative Yugoslavia has enabled Serbian national minority in the Vukovar municipality to uninterrupted develop its national identity, which was continuously empowered by the totalitarian communist elite through selective memory and collective trauma victimized by the Ustasha terror. At the same time, as a secondary – external factor which has contributed to the escalation of social violence in the Vukovar region in 1991, is to be found in the fact that the Serbian national minority armed rebellion and an open aggression on the Republic of Croatia was possible with the aid of the Serbian Government in Belgrade and their finances which helped to arm Serbian national minority and provide military and logistic support of the Yugoslav People's Army and paramilitary forces from Serbia. In this crucial moment of crises, nationalism has played a bigger role not so much in the Croatian community, but more so in the Serbian community, because majority of Croatian atomized individuals have believed almost until the end that they will continue to live peacefully with their Serbian neighbors in the socialist 10 Yugoslavia. However, it is important to note that Croatian patriotism has played a prominent and detrimental role in this crucial moment as it has accomplished to homogenize the majority of atomized individuals together with the endogenous propagators of change in the organization of the defense and protection of the Croatian community now when its survival was endangered. This qualitative research – the instrumental study case has with the application of the grounded theory methodology confirmed the initial hypothesis of the doctoral thesis indicating that it is possible to study Vukovar's social context for the period 1945 – 1991 and provide an explanation of the initial causes of violence that have contributed to the escalation of crimes committed after the city was occupied. By doing so, a scientific framework was develop for additional research that could contribute to the generation of the substantive theory following the grounded theory methodology and based on the results gathered in this doctoral thesis