480053 KO Colloquium on Literature: Bosnian/ Croatian/ Serbian (2023S)

The role of female resistance fighters, also known as partizanke, in the Yugoslav National Liberation Movement (1941-1945) was significant. They were actively involved in the resistance against Nazi and fascist occupation and participated in the a variety of functions including as fighters, nurses, couriers, and in educational and cultural capacities. They worked in mixed-gender units and could participate in the same activities as male partisans. The participation of women in the resistance movement was not only important in terms of the war effort. It also challenged, to a certain degree, traditional gender roles and impacted the conception of gender relations in Yugoslav society. In post-war Yugoslavia, the heroism and sacrifices of the partizanke were celebrated and remembered as an important part of the country's history. Not only that, the figure of the partizanka became a national icon and cornerstone of Yugoslav self-understanding, so much so that the image of socialist Yugoslavia was tightly tied to the figure of the female resistance fighter. In media, such as literature and film, depictions of the partizanka were plentiful but ambiguous. Throughout the decades, the complicated and sometimes contradictory representations of the partizanka in Yugoslav media reflect struggles with female archetypes and changing societal norms. Negative images of the partizanka can even represent forebodings regarding the deterioration of the socialist state.

The course first provides a brief overview of the historical dimension of gender in the anti-fascist resistance struggle during WWII in Yugoslavia. This is followed by a thorough examination of the artistic representations of the figure of the partizanka in literature and film. Beginning with prose and feature films released shortly after the war – such as Vladimir Nazor's “Partizanka Mara” and Vjekoslav Afrić's “Slavica” – and moving on to partisan epics and blockbusters such as “Bitka na Neretvi” and “Valter brani Sarajevo” as well as queer/feminist reimaginings of the female partisan and her political and feminist legacy, the course traces how the representation of the partizanka evolves in lockstep with societal change. The course thus opens a space for discussion and analysis of gender, war, and media in the Yugoslav context.