Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DINARKVIR (Looking for Historical Queerness in the Slavic-Speaking Dinaric Mountains)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-04-01 do 2024-03-31
The DINARKVIR project addressed a critical gap in understanding the historical presence and social acceptance of gender and sexual diversity in the Western Balkans. Current scholarship on queer histories in the region has predominantly focused on modern decriminalization efforts and contemporary LGBTQ+ rights movements, inadvertently reinforcing the misconception that gender and sexual diversity is a recent, imported, or non-traditional phenomenon. This perspective overlooked the limited historical evidence that does exist of non-heteronormative practices and gender-nonconforming individuals. The project specifically examined two understudied social institutions present in traditional communities of the Dinaric Alps and neighboring regions: tobelijas (individuals assigned one gender at birth but socialized in a different gender role, often translated as “sworn virgins”) and ritual brotherhood/sisterhood (pobratimi/posestrime), homosocial relationships that provided social recognition and legal protection, often with a homoerotic component. Research into these two phenomena was hampered by early twentieth-century scholars who, influenced by their own cultural biases and emerging heteronormative frameworks, sanitized, ignored, or misrepresented these practices in ethnographic accounts.
The project set four objectives:
O1. To break new theoretical ground on the nature of gender and sexual diversity in the region by building a new conceptual framework, acknowledging the limitations of terms such as “homosexual,” “gay,” and “queer,” while recognizing non-heteronormative forms of life.
O2. To apply the conceptual framework from O1 to analyze the role of scholars who explored tobelijas and ritual brothers/sisters, and to examine the historical transformation of gender, sex, and same-sex attraction in the context of modernization.
O3. To identify, examine in detail, and reinterpret the communal roles of tobelijas and ritual brothers/sisters as queer performances and practices in specific communities through concrete cases.
O4. To train the researcher in digital-humanities methods, with a focus on affordable and efficient document collection and digitalization.
Scientific Impact: The project identified important cases involving tobelijas and ritual brothers/sisters who were visible and integrated within their communities, challenging assumptions about historical marginalization. The research revealed that processes of modernization and academic knowledge production, rather than traditional community values, were often responsible for the erasure of gender and sexual diversity from historical records. The fellowship resulted in three peer-reviewed publications, seven international conference presentations, and three co-organized academic panels. The researcher taught four university courses, delivered two invited lectures, and significantly expanded their international research network.
The project set four objectives:
O1. To break new theoretical ground on the nature of gender and sexual diversity in the region by building a new conceptual framework, acknowledging the limitations of terms such as “homosexual,” “gay,” and “queer,” while recognizing non-heteronormative forms of life.
O2. To apply the conceptual framework from O1 to analyze the role of scholars who explored tobelijas and ritual brothers/sisters, and to examine the historical transformation of gender, sex, and same-sex attraction in the context of modernization.
O3. To identify, examine in detail, and reinterpret the communal roles of tobelijas and ritual brothers/sisters as queer performances and practices in specific communities through concrete cases.
O4. To train the researcher in digital-humanities methods, with a focus on affordable and efficient document collection and digitalization.
Scientific Impact: The project identified important cases involving tobelijas and ritual brothers/sisters who were visible and integrated within their communities, challenging assumptions about historical marginalization. The research revealed that processes of modernization and academic knowledge production, rather than traditional community values, were often responsible for the erasure of gender and sexual diversity from historical records. The fellowship resulted in three peer-reviewed publications, seven international conference presentations, and three co-organized academic panels. The researcher taught four university courses, delivered two invited lectures, and significantly expanded their international research network.
The project successfully implemented a comprehensive training program, focusing on technical and transferable skills as well as academic development. Early collaboration with colleagues at the host institutions proved essential for equipping the researcher with techniques crucial for processing a high volume of ethnographic materials collected during fieldwork. After inital delays caused by further development of ethical frameworks, fieldwork was reorganized into one longer phase. Key trips took place in Belgrade (2022); Zagreb and Sarajevo (2023); Dubrovnik (2024); and Sarajevo and Cetinje (2025). Prior to the research trips (April–May 2023) and during the analysis phase of the project (November 2024), a secondment took place at the University of Mainz with Prof. Čarna Brković, resulting in intensive theoretical development, participation in departmental work, and extensive pedagogical training. At the host institution, the transferable-skills component was strategically reoriented toward ERC Starting Grant preparation. This reorientation culminated in an ERC Starting Grant interview (KAYF 101165540).
The project achieved exceptional results in academic dissemination, producing three peer-reviewed publications, including one book chapter directly from the project (“The ‘Turkish Vice’ in Pre-Yugoslav Ethnology and Folkloristics of the South Slavs,” forthcoming in CEU Press, 2026). The research was presented at seven major international conferences, including the 19th International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences–World Anthropology Union (IUAES–WAU) World Anthropology Congress in New Delhi and the 55th Annual Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) Convention in Philadelphia. The project co-organized three academic panels with international colleagues from India, Portugal, and Ukraine, building strong interdisciplinary networks and establishing the researcher as a recognized expert in historical queer studies.
Teaching activities included four university courses at the University of Mainz (three individually led courses) and at the University of Graz (shared teaching), directly stemming from the research framework. Additionally, two invited lectures were delivered at the University of Zagreb (May 2024) and at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade (November 2024), directly engaging academic communities in the region under study.
The project achieved exceptional results in academic dissemination, producing three peer-reviewed publications, including one book chapter directly from the project (“The ‘Turkish Vice’ in Pre-Yugoslav Ethnology and Folkloristics of the South Slavs,” forthcoming in CEU Press, 2026). The research was presented at seven major international conferences, including the 19th International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences–World Anthropology Union (IUAES–WAU) World Anthropology Congress in New Delhi and the 55th Annual Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) Convention in Philadelphia. The project co-organized three academic panels with international colleagues from India, Portugal, and Ukraine, building strong interdisciplinary networks and establishing the researcher as a recognized expert in historical queer studies.
Teaching activities included four university courses at the University of Mainz (three individually led courses) and at the University of Graz (shared teaching), directly stemming from the research framework. Additionally, two invited lectures were delivered at the University of Zagreb (May 2024) and at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade (November 2024), directly engaging academic communities in the region under study.
This research has profound contemporary relevance for challenging stereotypes, advancing historical justice, and strengthening social cohesion. By demonstrating that gender and sexual diversity existed and were often accepted in traditional, rural, patriarchal societies, the project counters harmful narratives that portray LGBTQ+ identities as exclusively urban, modern, or foreign imports to the Balkans. The project restores visibility to marginalized voices that have been systematically erased from historical records and provides positive examples from local history that can inform contemporary discussions about inclusion and acceptance. By critically examining how early ethnographers and folklorists shaped knowledge production about sexuality and gender, the project exposes colonial and Orientalist biases that continue to influence academic discourse about the region. In a region where LGBTQ+ rights remain contentious, providing historical evidence of local traditions of gender and sexual diversity can facilitate more inclusive dialogue and policy development.
The researcher successfully engaged broader audiences across multiple formats—particularly on social media—significantly exceeding the original outreach plan. A blog post titled “Queere Communities auf dem Balkan und ihre Divas,” published on the Balkan-Blog of the daily newspaper Der Standard in March 2023, bridged scholarly insights and accessible storytelling, reaching both activist and general readerships across the Balkans. The researcher also participated in community events, presenting the research results to the broader public and queer communities in Vienna, where the project was implemented. These activities included a well-received lecture at the Queer Museum Vienna titled “The Death of Hammam” (January 2023) and participation in the Long Night of Research (May 2024), an event organized by the host institution for the broader public.
The researcher successfully engaged broader audiences across multiple formats—particularly on social media—significantly exceeding the original outreach plan. A blog post titled “Queere Communities auf dem Balkan und ihre Divas,” published on the Balkan-Blog of the daily newspaper Der Standard in March 2023, bridged scholarly insights and accessible storytelling, reaching both activist and general readerships across the Balkans. The researcher also participated in community events, presenting the research results to the broader public and queer communities in Vienna, where the project was implemented. These activities included a well-received lecture at the Queer Museum Vienna titled “The Death of Hammam” (January 2023) and participation in the Long Night of Research (May 2024), an event organized by the host institution for the broader public.