The Story of Dorćol: The “Jevremova – Street of Meetings” Manifestation and the Multicultural Construction of Place of Memory

Abstract

The paper considers the manifestation “Jevremova Street – Street of Meetings” as a new custom instated by the Belgrade municipality of Stari Grad (Old Town), as a means to promote the spirit of neighborly relations and tolerance, as well as evoke the collective memory of the multiethnic and multiconfessional makeup of the inhabitants of the oldest part of the city – Dorćol. The obvious intent to keep up with the global trend of multicultural policies initiated not only this manifestation, but also a specific kind of “branding” of Dorćol through a series of different activities and publications dedicated to emphasizing the cultural specificity of this part of the city which is characterized by a unique topography, the great age of the city center, and a multicultural past. The attempts made by administrative governments and cultural organizations to promote Dorćol and revitalize its significance as a “place of memory” and an attractive tourist, cultural, educational and commercial location, a multiethnic location rife with urban spirit was motivated, in this author’s opinion, by political reasons and was supposed to serve as a means to demonstrate the extent of the democratic and civil changes in Serbia after the year 2000. The data presented here was gathered through the ethnographic method of participant observation. The main characteristics of the “Jevremova – Street of Meetings” celebration have been described, and its function within the context of historical, ethnic and confessional specificities of Dorćol have been analyzed. The paper also includes an analysis of the urban semiotics of the neighborhood.