Жена и рат: "Друга страна" окупације 1941–1945. године на простору чачанског краја

English tite: Woman and War: The “Other Side” of the Occupation (1941–1945) in the Čačak Region 

This article examines the everyday experiences of women in the Čačak region during the Second World War (1941–1945), focusing on the social, moral, and economic dimensions of occupation beyond military and political narratives. Using archival sources, contemporary documentation, and microhistorical analysis, the study reconstructs women’s strategies of survival under conditions of violence, repression, poverty, and shifting power relations.

The analysis highlights transformations in gender roles caused by the absence of men, wartime labor demands, and the breakdown of traditional social controls. Particular attention is paid to sexual violence, forced relationships, moral stigmatization, and the regulation of female behavior by occupation authorities, collaborationist structures, and local communities. The article also explores women’s agency within partisan and resistance networks, as well as their ambivalent position between victimhood and participation.

By situating women’s experiences within the broader framework of occupation society, the study contributes to the social and gender history of wartime Serbia. It complements monographic research on everyday life, violence, and political culture in occupied Serbia by demonstrating how gender relations functioned as a key structural component of wartime social order.