Improvised State

Alex Jeffrey is a University Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Cambridge. His research has focused on the governance of post-conflict environments, particularly the former Yugoslavia, and the role of non-governmental organizations in fostering democracy. He is co-author, together with Joe Painter, of Political Geography: An Introduction to Space and Power (2009) and with Anoop Nayak on Geographical Thought: An Introduction to Ideas in Human Geography (2011).

“I really enjoyed the book. It provides an empirically-rich, methodology-cally-rigorous and conceptually-grounded account of the state ‘in action’. It should prove to be essential reading for all those social scientists interested in the state but will also provide inspiration for all those interested in political geography, understandings of power and notions of performance.”  (Cultural Geographies, 27 December 2013)

• List of Figures ix Series Editors’ Preface xAcknowledgements xiAbbreviations xiii1 Introduction 11.1 States, Performance and Improvisation 41.2 Towards a Political Anthropology of the Bosnian State 71.3 Critical Geopolitics and Qualitative Research Strategy 131.4 Structure of the Book 162 The Improvised State 202.1 The State Idea 222.2 Performance and Performativity 262.3 Improvisation: Performed Resourcefulness 322.4 Improvising the State 383 Producing Bosnia and Herzegovina 413.1 Fault Line 443.2 Barrier 503.3 The Balkan Vortex 623.4 The General Framework Agreement for Peace 673.5 Conclusion 704 Performing Brèko District 724.1 Brèko District and Arbitration 754.2 Stability: Getting the Job Done 854.3 Security: Constructing Legality 914.4 Neutralization: Making People Think 974.5 Conclusion 1025 Gentrifying Civil Society 1075.1 Building Civil Society 1115.2 Social Capital: The Autonomy of Civil Society 1155.3 Cultural Capital: ‘Don ’ t Just Ask for Another Copy Machine!’ 1185.4 Beyond Gentrified Civil Society: Roma and Mjesne Zajednice 1235.5 Conclusion 1296 Enacting Justice 1326.1 Spaces of Justice 1346.2 Contesting the State 1396.3 Enrolling Civil Society 1456.4 Conclusion 1537 Becoming European 1567.1 Europeanization and the State 1587.2 Nested Balkanism 1627.3 Conclusion 1668 Conclusion 169References 179Index 197