Abstract
Our central aim is to examine the differences in the discourse of nationalism of a particular period in Yugoslavia's, and Serbia's, political, economic and social transitions - from Tito to neoliberal crash in the 2000s. Key to this examination is a framework of Critical Discourse Analysis which has to date been used by many critical language researchers to investigate what is happening in the contemporary world, in particular where a 'global' form of capitalism is taking over (cf. Fairclough 2000).
The period in question is marked by three historical chapters which make this particular part of the region somewhat distinct from the rest of the communist and post-communist states. The first is the character of Yugoslavia under the presidency of Tito and its dramatic period in post-war formation. The second is Milosevic's arrival to power in 1987. He was particularly effective in igniting the nationalist feelings of Kosovo Serbs, seeking to represent himself as a 'defender of Serbs'. Lastly, as one of many post-communist transformation states, Serbia too has been faced with a multitude of problems within the global world economy, however in distinct ways shaped by the previous historical events.
The chapter thus considers the impact of the historical events on the discourse of nationalism characterised differently in the three periods. Further, we examine ways in which the nationalist narratives contributed to the changes in the characterisation of languages through the transition phases, and will attempt to illustrate how such characterisations play an instrumental role in reshaping and creating national and ethnic divides.
The period in question is marked by three historical chapters which make this particular part of the region somewhat distinct from the rest of the communist and post-communist states. The first is the character of Yugoslavia under the presidency of Tito and its dramatic period in post-war formation. The second is Milosevic's arrival to power in 1987. He was particularly effective in igniting the nationalist feelings of Kosovo Serbs, seeking to represent himself as a 'defender of Serbs'. Lastly, as one of many post-communist transformation states, Serbia too has been faced with a multitude of problems within the global world economy, however in distinct ways shaped by the previous historical events.
The chapter thus considers the impact of the historical events on the discourse of nationalism characterised differently in the three periods. Further, we examine ways in which the nationalist narratives contributed to the changes in the characterisation of languages through the transition phases, and will attempt to illustrate how such characterisations play an instrumental role in reshaping and creating national and ethnic divides.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Sociolinguistic Transition in Former Eastern Block countries |
| Subtitle of host publication | Two Decades after the Regime Change |
| Editors | Marian Sloboda, Petteri Laihonen, Anastassia Zabrodskaja |
| Place of Publication | Frankfurt am Main, Berlin |
| Publisher | Peter Lang |
| Chapter | II |
| Pages | 207-231 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Volume | 4 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783631692950 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783631662724 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |