Change and contestation of meaning in the commemoration of Croatian Statehood Day
Journal Title: Journal of Comparative Research in Anthropology and Sociology - Year 2016, Vol 7, Issue 1
Abstract
This paper examines issues surrounding the existing lack of more active engagement of Croatian citizens in the commemoration of some of the most important national holidays, in particular the Statehood Day. The paper is divided into two parts: the changes in the commemoration of the Statehood Day by the political leadership over the past 25 years (macro-perspective), and the reasons for the lack of engagement of Croatian citizens in its celebration today (micro-perspective). We will first go back to the year 1990 when Croatian political elite and the citizens en masse and passionately celebrated the first Statehood Day, and compare this to the quite meagre commemorations that we have witnessed over the past years. We will then present the results of qualitative empirical research conducted in 2013 using the method of in-depth semi-structured interviews, in which Croatian citizens themselves discuss their personal involvement in the commemoration of national holidays, and the reasons why they have not engaged more actively in the Statehood Day celebration. Some of the issues that arise over the past years cannot be explained by natural multivocality of symbols, or the “cooling down” of “hot nationalism” of the 1990s. Main issues primarily arise from the lack of continuity and contestation of meaning of this national holiday, at both the level of the political leadership and the level of “ordinary” citizens.
Authors and Affiliations
Tijana Trako Poljak
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP41049
- DOI -
- Views 201
- Downloads 0
Imagination, creation and literary origins: dreaming and waking
Quotation, allusion, mediumship and speaking with or through others’ voices is an established ad well-worked aspect of culture, indeed, it seems, across all cultures, an appropriate subject indeed for COMPASIO. So too...
From “reversed quota” to “ invisible quota” in the recruitment of the descendants of immigrants for public service jobs
Through a qualitative comparison study of the hiring of the descendants of immigrants for public service jobs in France and in the Netherlands, this article highlights the selection mechanisms implemented by local huma...
Stories in social organization
I am delighted to have been asked to guest-edit this Special Issue which brings together exciting perspectives on Stories in Social Organization, a topic currently at the forefront of narrative studies. The breadth of...
Migrant’s houses as places and objects of cultural consumption and status display
The paper explores the interplay between migration and cultural consumption with regard to the rural dwelling. The study is based on data collected in a fieldwork carried out in the village of Marginea, Romania, a rura...
Euthanasia and normality in Romania or Being reluctant to a good death
The present paper explores the perspectives of introducing human euthanasia on the Romanian public agenda by using the realm of normality as framework for argumentation. When choosing the topic I was inspired by the gr...