Stand up for Public Interest! Active Frame Construction of the Ne davimo Beograd Movement in a Post-Yugoslavian Context

Abstract

The framing literature on (urban) social movements mainly pays attention to the local scale and either micro- or macro- influences and therefore overseeing contextual influences. By analysing the framing process of the Ne davimo Beograd (we won’t let Belgrade drown) movement in Belgrade, that protested a large-scale urban regeneration project, this research, first of all, contributes to filling this gap by integrating both micro- and macro- influences. It became clear that during this process frames are constructed through several spatial scales that reinforce each other. Secondly, this research contributes to displaying the path-dependent effects of socialism but pleads for nuance in this categorization. Through conducting interviews and observations, it became clear that the movement successfully constructed a normal citizen frame, causing the mobilization of other citizens and leading to a general questioning of Serbian authorities in the negotiation on public space and the Serbian society.