Bauk bosanstva. Izgonjenja bosanskih ljudi u tuđe predstave o njima
THE SPECTRE OF BOSNIANHOOD. The exile of Bosnians as represented by others

Summary/Abstract: From the early 19th century to the present, a certain spectre of Bosnianhood has informed the national teleologies of the Serb, Croat and Bosniak identitities (Serbhood, Croathood, and Bosniakhood). As is evident from their nationalist programmes, all three nationalist projects have a need to sever the undeniable link between the population of Bosnia and the geographical and historical extent of Bosnian popular or folk plurality. One consequence is that today at least three quarters of Bosnian Muslims, whose very existence represents an anomaly for these nationalist teleologies, live in exile. But exile can be mental as well as physical. By brutally applying to themselves the templates of cultural racism, nationalism, and orientalism, Bosnian Muslims have assimilated the representations others have of them. This results in a form of migration from the self towards ideological alienation imposed from outside. Such templates are deployed in politically supported forms of education. This paper presents the results of research into key aspects of anti-Bosnian texts and public discourse.

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