engleski

Mediterranean, Women and Their Representation in Modern Klapa Discourse

'The Southern Adriatic — Dalmatia — seems to be regarded as the most Mediterranean symbol among the Croats' claims Ćaleta (1999). Furthermore, regarding music phenomena, klapa singing is 'most representative of the Mediterranean as far as the Croats are concerned'. Klapa, a traditional Croatian a capella singing, and its many models emerging since the 1960s, has to an extent been dealt with from the perspective of (mostly) ethnomusicology, cultural studies, cultural anthropology etc. The focus of this work is modern klapa discourse, here seen in a foucauldian sense as a transmitter and creator of representations (consisting of texts, images, symbols etc.) that contribute to the construction of the notion of Croatian Mediterranean, or, more precisely, Dalmatia. Ćaleta (2003, 2008) distinguishes traditional, festival and modern klapa. Modern klapa incorporates not only musical instruments but also fuses popular music elements from rock to reggae. Biti and Grgurić (2010) state that some instances of the (modern) klapa genre have become too deviant to be considered klapa, and show a parasitic relation to its symbolic capital. Examples of modern klapa discourse examined in this work are seen to be in line with the latter understanding. This work thus analyses representation(s) of the Mediterranean in the klapa discourse, with a special focus on the representation of women within it. The assumption of the impact of klapa discourse on the understanding of the Mediterranean from Croatian perspective is based on the discourse’s enormous popularity and media presence (Biti, Grgurić 2010, Ćaleta 2008) which recently peaked when the Croatian National Television Committee decided that a klapa should represent Croatia at Eurosong 2013 competition. The analysis will be based on selected klapa songs (texts and official videos), with the Eurosong candidate, as purpose-tailored, publicly financed product, posited separately for comparisons. Since 'nowadays klapa singing represents a collective symbol of regional identity (Povrzanović 1989 ; Škrbić Alempijević, Mesarić, Žabčić 2010), the klapa discourse is seen as (re)interpretation of Mediterranean/Dalmatian- ness that circulates back into the community (Duda 2002), having an effect on further identity formations. Its elements are not ideologically neutral 'empty signifiers' that ‘just’ reign in the market, they shape our understanding of the ‘Mediterranean as it once was’ and as it is. What is constructed in the process will be read drawing from the notions of simulacra and kitsch as well as tradition and identity. In early 2000s, klapa singing is officially recognized as ‘Croatian cultural product’ ; UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List inscription ensued in 2012. Therefore, when dealing with klapa, on our hands we have tradition, internationally recognized cultural value ; entertainment and market space ; official (cultural?) tourism policy… The question is how all the factors interact in the klapa discourse and with what possible consequences, especially for self-representation of the community dubbed Mediterranean? For example, what representational forms and effects come forth from the intersection of discourses of value and tradition a priori inherent to klapa as indisputable identity marker and its contemporary advertisement-like discursive forms? This works attempts at determining suitable ways to pose the question of representation of contemporary Mediterranean-ness and Mediterranean femininity. The klapa discourse is seen as a prominent vehicle of such representations. It is thus open-ended, dealing with the matters of context positioning of the discourses in question.

Mediterranean; women; klapa; representation

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