After Whom the Deluge: Thinking about the Urgency of Thought

This paper reflects on how urgencies of thought can change swiftly in the face of unexpected circumstances, especially when these can be defined as disasters. One such disaster, natural, but also environmental, pandemic and economic, took place in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia in May 2014. The paper attempts to halt and capture the stream of images, hidden and open messages, and calls to action in the face of urgency. Rather than consider the role of the state or the media, it focuses on citizenship, and especially on how we practice our citizenship, how we belong to it and what we identify with during times of disaster. The paper seeks to understand the role of the citizen, as gendered, as (dis)able-bodied, as solidary and grieving.