Political economy, authoritarianism and bottom-up resistance : reflections on Serbian students’ protests

english

2025

Univerza v Ljubljani, Pravna fakulteta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

This contribution attempts to make sense of the year-long student led protests in Serbia. For the past year, students have been protesting in support of the rule of law, against state capture and corruption, mobilising a broad coalition bridging class, urban/ rural and religious divides. In the process, students have emerged as the main political actors, organising a bottom-up, grassroots democratic resistance to the authoritarian regime and its political economy, and providing transformative practices and guiding principles for a more democratic, just and distribution of power and resources. The essay engages with the political economy of these protests - all the material, political and economic conditions - that shaped them, and their meanings. It offers reflections on their features and strengths; the reactions of domestic institutions, which for the most part have resorted to intimidation and police violence; and the evolution of the EU’s position, which, from relatively supporting the regime, is increasingly pointing out its dysfunctions. Finally, it describes the political economy of authoritarianism that students are resisting, in which domestic laws are bypassed and breached, considerable power is given to corporate interests, and corruption, state capture and ensuing inequalities are high. At a time when democratic values are eroding in the Global North, and power concentration and inequalities are rising, the student led movement offers a glimmer of hope and, perhaps, valuable lessons.

20.05.2026