Contribution short abstract:

This comparative study aims to demonstrate how ecological and national issues become interconnected, examining the dynamics through which nationalistic arguments intertwine with environmental concerns, and shedding light on the intriguing phenomenon of econativism.

Contribution long abstract:

Countries in Southeast Europe are undergoing significant environmental and energy transitions, particularly in the context of EU integration and the European Union's own developmental trajectory in these sectors. Existing studies highlight a rise in environmental activism and offer various perspectives on the intersection of politics and environmental concerns in the region. To explore how national rhetoric and activism influence environmental advocacy, and to analyse how the mix of environmentalism, nationalism, and populism manifests itself on the ground, this study compares the findings of ethnographic research conducted in two settings. Gornje Nedeljice, a village at the centre of a significant environmental and social conflict due to its Jadarite reserves and the proposed lithium mining operations, serves as one case study. In contrast, Pljevlja, one of Europe's most polluted towns, is currently engaged in a growing debate regarding the future of the coal-fired Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant and the economic concerns associated with its potential closure, offering a second case study. In econativist narratives the care for nature of the local area progressively takes on the traits of concern for the future of nation or identity in general. Since in Gornje Nedeljice the struggle for environmental preservation is closely intertwined with efforts to safeguard Serbian culture and identity, while in Pljevlja the fight for clean air forms part of the resistance against the imposition of a new and undesired Montenegrin identity, this study will place particular emphasis on analysing the differences in how econativism manifests in these two distinct contexts.