Volume: 25  Number: 5&6  Page: 389–407

Balkan Identity: Changing Self-images of the South Slavs

Ljiljana Šari Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum Geschichte und Kultur Ostmitteleuropas (GWZO), Leipzig, Germany

This paper provides an analysis of texts containing the noun the Balkans and the adjective Balkan in a small corpus of approximately 80 journalistic texts from different south Slavic regions currently available online. The texts were published over the last 10 years. The term the Balkans and its derivations currently play a significant role in constructing both self-images and heteroimages in the south Slavic regions. The aim of the analysis is to ask whether there are differences in attitudes towards a ‘Balkan identity’ among the south Slavs and to highlight the cultural and historical bac`kground of the images of the Balkans.

Keywords: south Slavs, self-images, heteroimages, cultural identity, stereotypes

© 2004 L. Šari

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