Maja Petrović-Šteger
Maja Petrović-Šteger is an academic and a researcher, recognised for her work in the field of anthropology with a focus on post-socialist societies, political and economic transformations, and social change in Eastern Europe, particularly in Serbia. In her text for The Oracle: On Fantasy and Freedom, published by Sternberg Press to accompany the exhibition of the same title, she discusses the political situation in Serbia and explores the limitations of formal politics in effecting societal change. While politics dominates public discourse and shapes the economic and mental well-being of Serbian citizens, many have become disillusioned with traditional political processes. These individuals, though not apolitical, view formal political institutions as ineffective and restrictive. In response, they seek alternatives to express their hopes and aspirations for social change outside the traditional political framework.
She focuses her research on individuals and groups who reject the binary left-right political identities and seek societal renewal through non-political means. These people, including educators, musicians, scientists and activists, engage in initiatives that aim to transform their communities and the broader societal fabric. The concept of the imaginal is central to her arguments. The imaginal refers to images and visions that have the potential to influence real-world change, but are not necessarily political or rooted in traditional power structures. The concept differs from imagination (individual creativity) and the social imaginary (society's collective limits) as it blends both individual and social factors to create meaningful change. The article draws on the work of philosopher Henry Corbin, who described the imaginal as a realm of metaphysical images that possess a reality and force of their own. Maja Petrović-Šteger's article argues that societal renewal requires stepping out of conventional political discourse and embracing new ways of imagining the future.
Maja Petrović-Šteger is an Assistant Professor of Social Anthropology (PhD, University of Cambridge, 2007) with research and field experiences in Serbia, Tasmania and Switzerland. She has lectured and taught the anthropology of death, symbolic anthropology, the anthropology of Europe and medical anthropology at the University of Cambridge and the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana.
