'Why do they hate us?' Everyday serbian nationalist knowledge of Muslim hatred

Based on ethnographic research amongst displaced women and men in and from Bosnia-Herzegovina, this article explores forms of knowledge that underlie Serbian nationalism. This nationalist discourse to which I refer as 'Serbian Knowledge' contains a reservoir of 'truths' presumed to be accessible to all 'good and real' Serbs. It is also presumed to be the product, not of intellectual analysis, but of shared history of national suffering. Here, I focus on one particular aspect of Serbian Knowledge: the knowledge and fear of the hatred that Muslims allegedly feel for Serbs. Rather than simply highlighting the inconsistencies and prejudices of this discourse, I deploy my encounter with one Serbian man to explore how it may provide disenfranchised people with a set of symbolic resources that explain war and post-war experiences, and that allow them to carve out a sense of worth while reinforcing national-moral boundaries. Copyright © 2003 Mediterranean Institute.