Деосманизација и посвојење: критичко преиспитивање османског наслеђа у српској култури и књижевности
De-Ottomanisation аnd Internalisation: а Critical Analysis оf the Ottoman Heritage in Serbian Culture and Literature

Summary/Abstract: Drawing upon postcolonial theory, critical historiography and cultural theory, the article examines the representation of Ottoman heritage in Serbian culture and literature. The article argues that the attitude towards Ottoman heritage is shaped by two discursive macro-strategies: de-Ottomanization and internalisation, which are also typical of other Balkan cultures and countries with historical experience of living under Ottoman rule. On the one hand, de-Ottomanization, as the article argues, arises under the influence of the powerful discourse of Western Orientalism, modern nationalism, and collective historical trauma. On the other hand, due to the aforementioned factors, the internalisation of the Ottoman heritage is hidden and, quite often, (re)presented as authentic features of national cultures. Both macro-strategies cover all spheres of life, from language, via cuisine, to art. The first part of the article introduces the concepts of Orientalism, Balkanism and nested Orientalism. Then, the de-Ottomanization and internalisation of the Ottoman heritage are analysed in the Balkan and the Serbian social and cultural contexts. In the second part of the article, the critical analysis of the Ottoman heritage is divided into two parts: I) literature that was created on the territory of today’s Serbia under the Ottoman Empire, and II) Serbian literature that was created under the influence of Oriental cultures and/or introduces Muslim themes. The second group critically examines the literary modelling and use of Ottoman heritage and Muslim themes in certain aspects of oral epics and lyrics, as well as in certain representative works from the period of romanticism and modernism.

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