Paper short abstract:

Based on the material from Montenegro and Latvia I argue that series of 'development' projects may cause a cultural buffer the role of which is to minimise the adverse effects of continuous change. A further improvement of life may require stopping yet another wave of 'elusive-promises'

Paper long abstract:

When the British anthropologist Mary Edith Durham went to Montenegro in the wake of 20th century, she observed a country of rapid change. When I came to the same place a century later, I observed the same. In this presentation I will argue that Montenegro is a typical example of societies that have experienced at least a century of constant stream of dramatic development projects. This process has lead to something I call a buffer culture - a set of features that are geared towards withstanding continuous waves of consecutive change and development projects. From the perspective of everyday life, what becomes problematic here is not the existing living conditions, but the never-ending cycles of political upheaval caused by 'development' (as a project that is aimed to improvement of life). Development projects tend to be locked in the 'developmental present' when the current activities exists as if there were none before or, as in the case of political development, the new regimes can be openly hostile to the proposals and directions instigated by the previous regimes. Yet another 'paradigm shift' in this situation will just reinforce the basis of the buffer culture. A further improvement of life may need stopping the new wave of 'elusive promises'. In the context of frequent change and series of alleged transitions, anthropologists may represent a voice that can highlight the complex cultural response to the continuous 'elusive promises' and the 'not-yet' that never becomes 'now'. Based on ethnographic material from Montenegro and Latvia