Socially Marginalized Bodies in Transition: Dying and Death across Yugoslav Spaces, 19th–21st Century

Project code: N6-0474

Starting from the premise that dying and death are not exclusively biological processes but also social and cultural events, the DYDY project examines how, throughout history and in the present day, formal and informal forms of care, practices, and rituals related to dying and death have been shaped in Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for marginalized individuals including persons with disabilities, those with mental health challenges, individuals who have attempted or committed suicide, incarcerated persons, people living in poverty, homeless individuals, members of the Roma community, LGBTQI+ persons, individuals suffering from sexually transmitted diseases, and contemporary labor migrants. Dying and death are viewed as

moments in which social differences become visible, revealing who has the right to a dignified death and to be remembered, and who remains forgotten or excluded. In this way, the project investigates not only the end of life but also the broader mechanisms of social exclusion, power, and social recognition of marginalized groups. Although Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina shared common political and administrative frameworks for most of the period, from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes or Yugoslavia through the socialist federation to today’s transitional states, each developed its own, sometimes similar and sometimes contradictory, approaches to death and dying among marginalized persons. DYDY approaches these relationships not as fixed patterns but as dynamic processes in which history, politics, emotional relations, and social patterns related to death intertwine. The project relies on high ethical standards, respecting European regulations on data protection and the rights of socially marginalized groups as well as relevant regulations concerning research on dying, death, and memory, while simultaneously adhering to the local laws of each participating country.

Research team:

• Dr. Jelena Seferović
• Dr. Meta Remec
• Marko Buljevac, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law, Social Work Study Centre