Collection of Papers of the Faculty of Philosophy in Priština

New Words as a Means of Sustaining Conflict in Serbian Public Discourse

Svetlana M. Slijepčević Bjelivuk — 2026-03-14

Following the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station on November 1, 2024, which caused the death of sixteen people, Serbian public discourse entered a profound social crisis marked by intense polarization. Due to the absence of accountability and the failure to initiate judicial proceedings, the situation initially led to student protests and mass gatherings in solidarity. These were subsequently followed by a range of broader social and political actions undertaken by government representatives with the aim of suppressing the unrest. Within these circumstances, Serbian public discourse witnessed the emergence and increasing circulation of lexical items and expressions such as ćaci, Ćaciland, blokaderi (‘blockaders’), pumpadžija, and similar formations. These expressions primarily functioned as labels employed to discredit political opponents, serving as discursive tools of stigmatization and delegitimization.

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how newly coined words in Serbian public discourse became instruments for sustaining conflict between government representatives and their supporters on the one hand, and students, citizens supporting them, and the opposition on the other. The research corpus was compiled from various sources and using multiple methods, covering the period from November 1, 2024, to November 15, 2025. In view of the unambiguous polarization, the collected material was categorized according to a thematic criterion as a hyperordinate one (primarily based on reference). The lexical-semantic analysis was supplemented with a critical-analytical approach in order to uncover manipulative strategies that, at the level of the lexicon, contributed to maintaining the social crisis. A secondary criterion concerned the use of these lexical items from positions of social power. The analysis confirmed that the trajectory of these words moved from the lexical periphery toward the centre, from individualization to appellativization (illustrated by the lexeme ćaci). It was also shown that expressiveness increased with the emergence of newly coined words and expressions motivated by this lexeme, as well as by blokade (‘blockades’), pumpati (‘to pump’), and similar items. Furthermore, these forms expanded across registers—ranging from colloquial and informal to formal usage, and also in the opposite direction, from formal to colloquial contexts. The research confirmed that newly coined words and expressions unequivocally contribute to the maintenance of polarization, and that they are more frequently created and used by actors with a lower degree of political (and media) power.

Diminutives and Hypocoristics as Linguistic and Emotional Markers in Nušić’s “Devetsto petnaesta”

Ilijana R. Čutura — 2026-02-16

This paper analyzes the use of diminutives and hypocoristics in Branislav Nušić’s Devetsto petnaesta – tragedija jednog naroda, with the aim of examining their stylistic function and their connection to the emotional and thematic layers of the text. The research applies a linguostylistic approach, considering morphological, semantic, and word-formation aspects of these lexemes.

Although the work is less discussed in scholarly literature, researchers emphasize its genre hybridity, the presence of religious and biblical motifs, its highly emotional narration, and its thematic focus on collective tragedy. Written from both personal and historical perspectives, the text combines archaisms, folk language, symbolism, and notable lexical and syntactic richness.

The use of diminutives and hypocoristics constitutes a significant stylistic feature of the work, appearing in three thematic fields: (1) animals; (2) people (often enhancing empathy and sentimentality); and (3) objects symbolizing light and freedom, where their linguostylistic role is transposed to a symbolic-ideational level. Our analysis shows that these lexemes possess considerable stylistic potential, grounded partly in the style-markedness of certain word-formation models and partly in their correspondence with the overall emotional tone of the text. From the perspective of style-markedness and stylisticity, it becomes clear that the stylisticity of certain diminutives derives from their style-markedness (as in lexemes formed with the suffix -če). At the same time, both style-marked and non-style-marked lexemes achieve their expressive effect within the broader context of the work, functioning as carriers of its exceptional emotionality.

The Complex Conjunction “kako god što” in the Fifth Decade of the 19th Century, with Reference to Administrative-Legal Style

Jelena M. Pavlović Jovanović — 2026-03-09

This paper examines the status of comparative and manner-comparative clauses introduced by the complex conjunction kako god što in the administrative-legal style of the Serbian language in the 19th century. The study was motivated by a linguistic gap: the conjunction is absent from contemporary grammatical descriptions and spoken usage, raising questions about its historical role and gradual disappearance. Since legal language often preserves archaic constructions missing from other functional styles, analyzing this structure is crucial for understanding the evolution of administrative discourse. The corpus consists of legislative texts from the Collection of Laws, Regulations, and Decrees (1840, 1845), providing empirical data on the frequency, function, and syntactic role of kako god što. A descriptive qualitative approach was applied to identify and classify comparative and manner-comparative clauses according to syntactic and semantic features. Findings indicate that kako god što was primarily used in pre-standardization legal texts, with dependent clauses consistently appearing within the prepositional phrase, while the main clause was introduced by the correlational element tako.

The conjunction reinforces qualitative equivalence between legal norms. In dependent clauses, the dominant verb forms are the present tense and the future tense I, whereas main clauses frequently include imperative constructions. The study suggests that the gradual disappearance of kako god što from standard language is linked to broader syntactic and legislative modernization processes, offering a foundation for comparative analysis with other Slavic languages in historical syntax research.

Possibilities of Translating Specialized Language: An Analysis of the Translation of the Book “Das geheime Leben der Bäume” – "Tajni život drveća"

Mirjana J. Zarifović Grković — 2026-03-14

This study examines the Serbian translation of Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees into Serbian (Tajni život drveća, 2017). Originally published in 2015 as Das geheime Leben der Bäume, the book blends popular science with specialized forestry terminology, creating both linguistic and methodological challenges for translation. The main objective of this research is to systematically analyse the translation strategies and techniques used to render domain-specific terminology into Serbian. Framed within contrastive linguistics and translation studies, the study adopts an integrative methodological approach that combines descriptive and contrastive analyses. The corpus comprises 171 lexemes identified in both the German original and the Serbian translation. Through the examination of selected examples, the study evaluates the appropriateness and consistency of the applied strategies.

The analysis reveals that the translator encountered various linguistic and terminological difficulties. Although Serbian equivalents exist for many German technical terms—often as internationalisms, calques, or established lexical units—their use is not always straightforward, complicating direct equivalence. Consequently, a range of translation techniques was employed to preserve both terminological accuracy and textual clarity. Following Chesterman’s typology, these strategies are grouped into three categories: syntactic (cohesion change, level shift, clause structure change, unit shift), semantic (emphasis change, hyponymy, abstraction change, distribution change), and pragmatic (explicitness change, interpersonal change, visibility change, coherence change). In addition, procedures such as concretization and paraphrasing, as described by Hlebec, were also applied.

The findings indicate that the translator frequently resorted to specific techniques, demonstrating considerable professional competence and methodological sensitivity. At the same time, certain choices appear debatable, underscoring the complexity of specialized translation. Despite these terminological challenges, the translation largely fulfills its purpose: the text reads fluently and remains accessible, requiring only occasional clarifications. The Serbian version thus contributes to disseminating specialized knowledge to a broader audience and serves as a valuable case study of typical challenges and solutions in technical translation.

The Role and Importance of Promoting Publishing in English in the Republic of Serbia

Nevenka J. Popović Šević — 2026-03-20

The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of publishing in English in the Republic of Serbia. From a scientific point of view, this work analyses the significance of translated journals, textbooks, and monographs. Due to publishing their works in English, Serbian researchers, scientists, and writers have become internationally seen and recognizable. The discussed visibility and distribution contribute to the global exchange of culture and knowledge. This paper presents reviews and statistics regarding the importance of translations of written works, which are intended for a broader audience. Undeniably, apart from its cultural and academic importance, publishing in English is also a strategically planned politics of presenting and promoting Serbian academic writing, research, and literature to the world. Through this endeavour, our country disseminates its international presence while building a competitive publishing industry.

The Postmodernism in Serbian Literature Within the Anglophone Theories: After the Eighties

Vladislava S. Gordić Petković — 2026-02-04

The fiction written by Serbian authors in the eighties and beyond persistently constructs an entirely new world, in which existentialism and metaphysics, myth and literature, literary authors and their projection into literary characters intertwine regularly and legitimately. The narrative strategies borrowed from magic realism and American postmodernism delineate a hybrid world where citations and dreams, science and conspiracy, facts and the reinvention of facts converge and intersect.

A case in point is Đorđe Pisarev, who works with the influences of Gothic fiction, Edgar Allan Poe’s detective stories and Stephen King’s horror alike. The continuous existential and psychological disintegration to which the author subjects his characters conditions the emergence of a multilayered narrative world. Within this world, the author not only disempowers the narrator but also transforms his skillfully crafted persona into a character open to deconstruction and characterized by existential and epistemological inconsistency.

Comic Relief and Social Subversion in "Hamlet"

Ana M. Andrejević — 2026-02-05

In classical poetics, tragedy is defined as the representation of a serious and complete action, traditionally characterized by the exclusion of comic episodes and characters. William Shakespeare, however, disrupts this convention by integrating comic scenes into the very structure of tragic discourse. This paper argues that comic relief in tragedy does not serve a single, uniform function; in Hamlet, it operates as a complex dramaturgical and ideological device. Comic episodes do not merely temper tragic intensity; rather, they open a discursive space in which social hierarchies and mechanisms of institutional control are articulated and critically examined. An analysis of scenes involving Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Osric, and the gravediggers reveals a dynamic hierarchy of comic functions, ranging from courtly comedy aligned with the stabilization of the existing order to carnivalesque forms of laughter that challenge class distinctions and established structures of authority. The theoretical framework of this study is grounded in Bakhtin’s concept of carnivalization and enriched by insights from New Historicism and psychoanalytic theories of humor. This approach enables comic relief in Hamlet to be interpreted as an integral component of the dramatic structure—one that both deepens tragic meaning and exposes the play’s internal ideological contradictions.

"The Seagull" as Heraldic "Mise en Abyme": Chekhov’s Philosophy of Melancholy

Ivana N. Božović — 2026-03-24

The study of Chekhov’s philosophy of melancholy is conceived as a triptych. The first part, presented here, postulates the fundamental isochime of his oeuvre: the melancholic experience of the world. Chekhov’s aesthetics—understood both as a philosophy of art and as an artistic philosophy—are examined as an analytical category, a formative worldview, and a principle of authorial expression and action immanent to every creator. Drawing on Nikola Milošević’s typology from The Metaphysical Form of Miloš Crnjanski’s Work, which uses the “degree of transparency” of literary texts as its point of reference, we argue that Chekhov’s art belongs to the category of works that appear transparent while concealing profound meanings, thus requiring a subtle hermeneutic approach.

Within the literary opus of this renowned Russian author, the melancholic experience of the world emerges as “a mirror reflected in a mirror, repeating itself endlessly,” a reflection that assumes a distinct and sublimated artistic form in The Seagull (1895). In this sense, the play becomes a heraldic mise en abyme (Fr. placement into the abyss), an internal reflection that permeating both both Chekhov’s dramatic and prose writings. The analysis focuses on three developmental stages and to a condensed interpretative prism outlining the contours of the tragic protagonist Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplyov. The seagull functions simultaneously as a symbol of anthemic weight, a metaphysical bond, and a radical gesture of renunciation of both self and the world. The study itself is structured according to an internal dramatic framework of four “acts,” mirroring the composition of The Seagull.

The second part of the triptych will examine the active presence of the seagull symbol as an inaudible cry for meaning and Chekhov’s la grande tristezza (Dante), articulated within a distinct prose register. The third part will explore the mise en abyme within the visual discourse of Nikita Mikhalkov’s films: Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano (1977), Black Eyes (1987), and Burnt by the Sun (1994). In this way, the triptych becomes, in a certain sense, a “biography of a feeling,” an exploration of a “story within a story,” a “mirror reflected endlessly in another mirror”—a feeling both vital and ancient: melancholy.

Hyperborea and Heteronomy—Pro et Contra (“Personal” Poetics of Branislav Matić)

Marija S. Jeftimijević Mihajlović — 2026-02-04

Branislav Matić, a poet of refined sensitivity, author, publicist, and editor of numerous publications, with his first poetry collection Hyperborean Chronicle (2015), published in his mature years, emphasized the importance of returning to the ancient (spiritual) heritage of humanity. Drawing primarily on the teachings of the Hungarian thinker Béla Hamvas, as well as on ancient Hindu metaphysics, Matić constructed a distinctive poetic–philosophical system, founded on the principle of “spiritualizing nature and deifying man.” Following the example of his spiritual teacher Hamvas, in our age of “modern barbarism,” Matić highlights the vocation of the poet (Poeta sacer), a devotee who assumes the universal human destiny and whose task is to bear witness to and renew the covenant with the divine. By contrasting the Hyperborean essence of the poet with the heteronomy of contemporary material barbarism, Matić’s poetry simultaneously affirms the principle of Personality, increasingly endangered by the homogenization of values, dehumanization, and dechristianization of the world.

The significance of returning to the ancient heritage—understood as the foundation of being, sacred knowledge, and knowledge of the Logos, which is not acquired through the accumulation of data but through insight into the equality of the human with the divine—is further confirmed in numerous interviews where Matić articulated his autopoietic views. These reflections are crucial both for interpreting his poetry and for understanding his philosophical insights into the essence of poetry and of the world itself. The dialogical framework of Hyperborean Chronicle underscores two central ideas of Matić’s poetics: first, that poetry is primarily a dialogue with the world, whose essence lies in revealing Truth to the Other—that visible reality is but an image of our inner world; and second, that poetry is the chosen mediator between Man and Truth, whose essential purpose is a call to vigilance, to self-forgetting, and to the rediscovery of one’s divine nature.

Prohibition of Abuse of Rights in Serbian Law: A Legal-Historical Analysis of the Norm in the Period Between Two Civil Codes

Vladimir D. Boranijašević — 2026-03-14

In order for legal entities to realize their material or non-material interests, the legal order grants them a set of subjective rights and individual entitlements. The exercise of these rights directly affirms the legal order, while the pursuit of individual interests indirectly contributes to the realization of its objectives to which the legal order aspires. This is the general rule.

However, in certain situations, the exercise of rights may amount to a negation of the legal order. Although this may seem counterintuitive, the conduct of a subject can be qualitatively equated with unlawful behaviour, even when the individual formally remains within the boundaries of their entitlements. This occurs when a person, in exercising a right, compromises the legal interests of others to an unacceptable extent, and especially when the right is exercised without any legitimate interest but solely to cause harm. In such circumstances, it is not accurate to say that the person is merely exercising a right; rather, they are abusing it. Nor can such conduct be considered permissible; on the contrary, it is impermissible.

Such conduct undermines the legal order. Therefore, it is first necessary to identify it correctly, that is, to establish criteria by which permissible and impermissible exercises of rights can be reliably distinguished. Second, it is necessary to develop an adequate system of sanctions to be applied once those criteria are met. The prohibition of the abuse of subjective rights serves as one of the foundations for correcting the behaviour of legal subjects.

The history of abusive exercise of rights in domestic legal theory is exceptionally long. However, when we speak of the abuse of rights as a legally and technically structured, codified institution, its history in our law can be traced back to the enactment of the Serbian Civil Code. The Republic of Serbia has initiated the process of drafting a new Civil Code. As things stand, it is almost certain that the prohibition of the abuse of rights will be an integral part of it. Therefore, a correct understanding of a norm whose evolution has spanned nearly two centuries is of great scientific, social, and practical significance.

This paper presents the results of a theoretical-empirical study that identified the salient phases in the development of this institution. The research was conducted primarily using the normative method, in its historical, positive, and, to some extent, comparative-legal variants. The results are presented chronologically, following the dynamics of amendments and supplements to relevant regulations.

Effects of the Decompression Treatment Model on Delinquent Behavior in Youth with Elevated Psychopathic Traits: A Systematic Review

Sofija Đ. Dovijanić — 2026-02-10

Psychopathic traits correlate with a disregard for social norms, frequent rule-breaking, and early-onset delinquency. Such youth present particular challenges in institutional treatment due to their uncooperative and disruptive behavior. Nevertheless, empirical findings suggest that specialized interventions, such as the Decompression Treatment Model (DTM), may be effective in reducing delinquent behavior. DTM is a high-intensity, long-term cognitive-behavioral intervention designed to reduce aggression, enhance interpersonal functioning, and support social reintegration. The main goal of this systematic review was to examine and qualitatively synthesize evidence on the effects of DTM. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, eight empirical studies were identified and analyzed. Findings across these studies indicate that full participation in program activities is associated with a moderate, long-term reduction in violent and nonviolent recidivism, as well as a substantial decrease in uncooperativeness during treatment exposure. Overall, the evidence suggests that even the most serious forms of antisocial behavior among young offenders can be modified, particularly among those with violent tendencies and pronounced interpersonal features of psychopathy such as superficial charm and narcissism.

Visual Metaphors of School Expressed Through Caricature

Zlatko M. Pavlović — 2026-03-20

Understanding the school as an institution and the educational process that takes place within it requires insight into how the school is perceived and experienced, not only by students, teachers, and parents, but also by the broader public. Public perception of school influences the role school plays in the community, how the community relates to it, what it expects from it, and ultimately, how the school functions. Attitudes toward school are expressed in various ways and through different media. One of these is metaphorical: caricature serves as a tool for expressing visual metaphors.

This paper presents the results of an analysis of school-related caricatures created by cartoonists from over 30 countries around the world. These caricatures were submitted to an international contest and published in its catalogue. The school metaphors represented in these caricatures were analysed, and the analysis showed that the collected caricatures could be categorized into six distinct groups. These categories can, to some extent, be compared with those identified in other studies that analysed verbal metaphors about school.

The general finding is that cartoonists often depict school as a place intended to foster student development, though this goal is frequently not achieved. Some reasons for this include the suppression of students’ individuality, excessive workload, and inappropriate interpersonal relationships, particularly the presence of aggression.

The analysis also revealed that caricatures with a critical perspective on school outnumber those with an affirmative tone. However, this disparity in the sample is not large enough to support a definitive conclusion. While cartoonists generally present a critical view of school and its environment, this stance does not apply equally to all aspects of school life. They tend to be considerably more critical of the school as an institution and its surroundings, yet predominantly affirmative regarding the act of learning and the content taught. For cartoonists, the fact that children acquire knowledge at school is viewed positively, whereas the way the institution itself is organized is subject to far greater criticism.

Understanding Plant Growth and Development in Preschool Children

Gordana M. Stepić — 2026-02-05

From early childhood, children build their understanding of scientific concepts through interactions with the world around them. Drawing emerges as a valuable methodology for gaining insight into children’s thoughts and ideas regarding different aspects of their environment. The aim of this study is to observe and analyze preschool children’s explanations of plant growth and development. The research is descriptive in nature, with a sample of sixty children aged 5.5 to 6.5 years. Data were collected using children’s drawings and an interview guide, and processed through content analysis. The findings indicate that preschool children’s understanding of the plant world begins during this period and is directly related to their firsthand experiences with plants at home and/or in kindergarten.

Children employ a wide range of pictorial elements to represent plant growth and development and elaborate on their understanding through explanations of their drawings. These explanations are predominantly naturalistic and most often include factors such as the sun, water, and soil. The results suggest that preschool children are capable of constructing appropriate explanatory models, and further, that that the development of understanding and explanation—as integral elements of the scientific process—can and should be fostered through suitable strategies implemented by preschool educators.

The Political Culture of Exclusivity in the Republic of Serbia During the Student Blockades of 2024/2025: An Essay on Cultural Fascism

Sandra S. Radenović — 2026-03-20

The aim of this research is to examine the characteristics of political culture in the Republic of Serbia during the student blockades (2024/2025), using as a case study the reactions within the author’s professional and family environment to her visit to Pionirski Park and to the group of students “who want to learn.” The study addresses two issues that may shape the dominant features of political culture at both micro and macro levels: (1) the accuracy of information concerning the author’s statement during the visit to Pionirski Park; and (2) the level of understanding among members of the author’s professional and family environment regarding the professor–student relationship.

Methodologically, the research takes the form of a case study and employs observation with participation, the biographical method, content analysis, and interviews. The author identifies exclusivity as the central characteristic of political culture present at both micro and macro levels, particularly in public discourse during the student blockades. The findings confirm exclusivity as the dominant feature of political culture, particularly in public discourse during the ongoing social and political crisis in the Republic of Serbia associated with the student blockades of 2024/2025.

Exclusivity is analyzed through specific examples that reveal elements of cultural fascism, racism, and speciesism. It is further accompanied by collectivism, single-mindedness, and totalitarian tendencies in the thinking and actions of political actors who perceive their opponents not only as political adversaries but also as members of inferior cultural groups, races, or even species. This research raises the urgent question of how exclusivity, as a dominant characteristic of political culture in contemporary Serbian society, can be effectively reduced.

Modern Disinformation and Its Socio-Security Connotation

Slobodan M. Anđelković — 2026-02-19

The contemporary world faces disinformation as a primary challenge, given its capacity to undermine both social stability and national security. The digital political environment— shaped by advanced technologies and social media platforms—enables disinformation to spread more rapidly than traditional propaganda, introducing a range of uncertainties into public discourse. The main research objective is to examine how disinformation affects public trust and political authority, as well as its function as a strategic tool in domestic control and international hybrid warfare.

The study begins with a theoretical exploration of disinformation as a phenomenon of social and political communication, integrating insights from security studies, political science, and media theory. The analysis highlights the transformation of information systems—from truth-based knowledge structures to digital environments where multiple narratives, algorithmic filtering, and selective framing dominate public discussions. Disinformation reshapes political landscapes by fostering echo chambers, which fragment communities and erode institutional trust. This analysis draws on academic literature, official reports, and targeted case studies. The 2016 U.S. presidential election and the global COVID-19 pandemic are presented as key examples illustrating how disinformation campaigns influence public attitudes and political decision-making. Findings indicate that state agencies, non-state actors, political organizations, and digital platforms often collaborate in the dissemination of disinformation. Evidence suggests that such operations are strategically planned and executed to achieve political or economic goals, thereby generating social instability and threatening national security.

One of the paper’s conclusions is that disinformation poses multifaceted threats across various sectors of society. Its proliferation diminishes public confidence in official institutions, while simultaneously increasing reliance on alternative information sources that may propagate falsehoods. Disinformation also serves as a hybrid warfare instrument, allowing armed forces to target adversaries through information operations rather than conventional military engagement. The rise of artificial intelligence has increased the danger of sophisticated fake content development, enabling the rapid creation of deepfakes and synthetic texts.

Disinformation campaigns transcend international borders and operate outside established legal frameworks. The expansion of major technology companies and their algorithmic control over information distribution complicates governmental efforts to safeguard national information spaces. Furthermore, the widespread tendency toward confirmation bias fosters belief systems rooted in personal prejudice, prompting individuals—most often online—to seek environments that reinforce their views. These factors collectively facilitate the spread of disinformation and hinder efforts to counter it.

The current era confronts two critical disinformation threats: the erosion of factual knowledge and the destabilization of social stability and national security. The continued evolution of disinformation technologies creates conditions in which information control may become a central mechanism of political power, potentially giving rise to techno-authoritarian regimes. Safeguarding the right to free and truthful information, while effectively managing malicious content, demands an integrated approach grounded in democratic principles.

The Impact of Digital Platform Use in Serbia on the Dynamics of the Private-Public Relationship

Dejana B. Nešić — 2026-03-09

The study explores the transformation of the public sphere in digital environments, focusing on how users engage with digital platforms along a private-public continuum. The main objective is to examine the purposes for which the individuals use digital platforms and the implications of these practices for contemporary forms of public engagement and public discourse. The significance of the topic lies in the fact that digital platforms redefine the modes of communication, participation, and visibility, directly influencing socio-cultural and political patterns. Understanding whether the purposes of platform use are predominantly private or public provides insight into how these practices shape and transform the contemporary public sphere with implications for media policy, education, and social discourse. These questions are highly relevant for a digitally connected society, which in theory is known as the network society (Castells, 2000; 2004).

Data were collected through an online survey administrated to 762 participants via Facebook and email. The analysis, based on percentages and percentage rankings, provides insights into the purposes rather than the perceptions of digital platform use. Findings indicate that while social networks are an integral part of daily life, they are not primarily used for collective or public engagement. Websites remain the most frequently used platforms, mostly for browsing, information seeking, reading, learning, and personal communication. These activities, although potentially fostering informed and monitorial citizenship (Jenkins, 2006), are largely individual and private in character.

Among social networks, Facebook functions as a hybrid private-public network, Instagram serves mainly as private, but partly informational purposes, while X stands out as a platform of information and debate, operating as a form of public sphere. Nevertheless, overall participation in public debates or initiatives remains marginal. Chi-square analyses confirmed a significant link between platform type and primary communication function, highlighting Facebook and Instagram’s hybrid character and X’s public orientation with usage patterns consistent across age and education groups. The results confirm that communication and messaging represent the main motivations for platform use, while public or political engagements is limited.

Overall, the findings support the core research hypothesis that private purpose dominate over public ones. Although certain practices show potential for digital citizenship, dominant usage patterns contribute more to maintaining personal relations and leisure than to democratic processes. Since the sample consisted of online users recruited through Facebook and email, the results should be interpreted with caution due to limited generalizability.

A Contribution to the Study of the History of the Church of St. George in Rečani

Bojana M. Stevanović — 2026-03-04

This paper deals with the history of the Church of St. George in the village of Rečani near Suva Reka, one of the significant, now completely destroyed medieval monuments of Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija. The paper provides an overview of the earliest mentions of Rečani in Dušan’s charter to the Monastery of the Holy Archangels and points to different interpretations of its dating, of which the time around 1348 is most commonly accepted. However, there is no certain evidence that the church already existed at that time. The reliable period in which the church had already been built is established based on a tombstone inscription found in its interior, which records the death of a certain duke on December 23, 1370. An analysis of both the inscription and the burial practices pertaining to ktitors (founders) in churches they commissioned suggests the assumption that this duke was the ktitor of the Rečani church, although the term ‘ktitor’ was not preserved in the inscription.

After the 14th century, there are almost no written traces of the church until the 19th century, when travel writers and researchers, such as Ivan S. Yastrebov and Panta Srećković, note that the church was severely damaged, neglected, and exposed to decay. During this period, it is also mentioned that the local Albanian population prevented renovation attempts. The presence of a fire that the church was set on at some point was established based on coloristic changes in the frescoes, but the cause and the time of the fire remain unknown.

During the 20th century, attempts were made to repair the structure. The first works were carried out in 1926, while systematic conservation research and restoration were performed between 1955 and 1961. In 1961, the church was placed under state protection as a cultural monument.

In the concluding part of the paper, reference is made to the tragic fate of the church after 1999. Although under the protection of international forces, the church was first burned and then blown up with mines in June 1999, thereby irreversibly destroyed. Attention is drawn to contemporary attempts to erase the historical context through inadequate presentation of data about the monument in the institutions of the so-called Republic of Kosovo, thus creating a distorted picture of its past and significance.

Essay on Observing Gender Through the Prism of Judith Butler’s Performativity Theory

Danijel G. Sporea — 2026-03-20

The observation of gender in postmodern discourse has opened the question of conceptuality, with the significant premise that gender is not constant but is continuously changing. When it is said that gender is culturally shaped, it implies its formation on a particular social and cultural basis. From this point of view, gender becomes a sort of ‘achieved status’, i.e. something constructed not only by cultural and social but also by psychological means. More precisely, gender is established, created, or manifested; as a result of everyday interactions in the socialization process, it is repeated, ultimately structuring itself. The starting point for this work is the philosophical opinion of the famous author Judith Butler who, while analysing gender on a theoretical level in her work The Gender Trouble, ‘established’ the outline of the theory of performativity. Hence, one of the goals of this work is the analytical and critical consideration of the thesis of gender as a performative. Judith Butler’s understanding of gender stems from the postulate that “no one is gender from the very beginning” and, actually, “your behaviour creates your sex”, i.e. creates the outlines of gender as a performative. In this context, one can state that gender, as a result of its compulsion, becomes unstable over time. The development of gender in the theory of performativity—a simple linguistic convention that forces us to behave differently, although by doing so, we are aware that in some way we are re-performing or creating gender—opens up space for the analysis of our discourse on gender in a symbolic-discursive order.

Determinants of Success in Esports: Personality Traits, Psychological States, Mental Skills, and Psychomotor Abilities

Ivana M. Zubić — 2026-01-27

Esports represents the fastest-growing competitive discipline in which players engage through video games. The aim of this review is to identify key psychological determinants of success in esports, based on the analysis of available empirical studies. A systematic literature search was conducted in Google Scholar, Scopus, and PsicINFO. Twenty-nine empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and 2024, available in full text in English, were included. Only studies on professional esports players were considered, irrespective of game genre. Findings indicate that personality traits—particularly extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience—are associated with performance outcomes. High-ranked players tend to exhibit lower extraversion and agreeableness, but higher openness compared to lower-ranked peers. Esports athletes face multiple stressors: performance-related (score pressure, critical in-game moments, injuries), team-related (communication, teammates’ errors, antisocial behaviour, criticism), external (audience, coaches, opponents, management), as well as challenges in balancing private life and career, and technical difficulties. Constructive stress management and self-regulation skills are therefore essential. Success in esports further depends on advanced psychological skills such as adaptability, mental toughness, frustration tolerance, emotional regulation, and communication competence. Finally, cognitive and psychomotor abilities were consistently identified as significant contributors to performance.

The Figure of Saint Sava in Studies of Serbian Literature and Culture

Tamara D. Orlović — 2026-01-22

Project-Based Foreign Language Teaching at the Tertiary Level of Education

Anđela D. Vasić — 2026-01-27

review

European Historical Traces in Latin America: Paraguay and the South Slavic Peoples

Sonja N. Pajić — 2026-02-11

The Historical Method in Urban Sociology: Reconstruction and Understanding of Urban Processes

Nemanja D. Radovanović — 2026-02-05