Paper short abstract:

The paper addresses reconfiguration of public spaces in an industrial town in central Serbia since the end of socialism. These reconfigurations result in conflicting imaginations of modernity, which, in turn, shape moralities and political subjectivities of people inhabiting an urban space.

Paper long abstract:

The paper analyzes the ways in which public spaces were reconfigured since the end of socialism in Jagodina, a middle size industrial town in central Serbia. As opposed to most of provincial towns in Serbia and in wider region, Jagodina experienced extensive building within the last decade. It is seen as a success-story and a rare Serbian provincial town to have managed to develop economically in spite of challenging economic and political circumstances in the country. This extensive building significantly influences the nature and function of public spaces, producing conflicting imaginations of modernity. These conflicting modernities inscribed in public spaces, the paper argues, have important role in shaping citizenship, moralities and political subjectivities of people inhabiting an urban space.