Montenegro has been a much neglected part of former Yugoslavia. The Montenegrin Warrior Tradition aims to scrutinize the identity debates in Montenegrin public opinion over the question of membership to NATO and to explore how narratives created for that purpose have been linked with Montenegrin identity, history, tradition, and the concept of Montenegrin masculinity. The intertwining of the question of identity with that of NATO membership, and the inseparability of these issues from the context of quotidian politics produces an array of controversies among Montenegrin citizens. The book interprets the public and private debates about Montenegro joining NATO through the prism of anthropological studies of identity; in particular those focused on a general theory of culture and the anthropology of multiculturalism.

"Most research on contemporary conflicts ignore gender entirely, particularly the role that masculinity —proving manhood, defending honor, and shame—have to do with conflict itself. The great virtue of Branko Banovic's close, detailed ethnographic study of the warrior tradition among Montenegrin men is that he incorporates these gendered ideal into his study, without reducing all conflict to a masculinity contest. This is how masculinity studies should be done!" - Michael Kimmel, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies; Executive Director, Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities, Stony Brook University, USA
 
"Branko Banovi? 's book about discourses of nationhood and NATO membership in Montenegro convincingly showcases the potentials of anthropology at home, combining his long-term engagement and intimate familiarity with his home country with the analytical skills and professional distance of the social anthropologist. The book is a rich, detailed, and convincing study of a dramatic period in the recent history of a little-known European nation, and a very welcome addition to the anthropological literature on nationalism." - Thomas H. Eriksen, University of Oslo, Department of Social Anthropology, Norway
 
 

Branko Banovi? is Director of The Regional Museum, Montenegro.