engleski

The Role of Music in the Formation of Croatian Nation-State

National symbols are the very threads out of which the fabric of national identity is woven, and it is through the examination of meanings attributed to constitutive symbols of a national identity that we can gain a deeper understanding of its nature. This paper will focus on music as a national symbol, and discuss its importance in national identities construction and sustenance. In the first, more general, theoretical part, we will argue for the importance of symbolism research in sociological examination of national identities, both at the time of their construction and after national identities and their symbols have had time to “cool down” (Billig, 1995). Moreover, we will argue for the relevance of examining national symbols, including music, not only from the perspective of political and intellectual elites who produce and distribute these symbols but also from the micro-sociological perspective, from the point of view of so-called “ordinary” citizens - the meanings they attribute to national symbols and the ways in which they use them in their everyday lives. In the second part, we will focus on a more specific example of the role of music in the formation of contemporary Croatian national identity. Firstly, we will briefly discuss the role that music, such as the national anthem as well as other, less “official” songs, had in Croatian nation-state formation in the 1990s, and the ways in which their role changed over the past 20 years. Secondly, based on our theoretical postulates, we will present the results from empirical, qualitative research conducted in February-May 2013 on a purposive sample of 85 Croatian citizens (semi-structured in-depth interviews). The results reveal: 1) the meanings Croatian citizens today attribute to Croatian national anthem and other national songs today ; 2) citizen’s perception of importance of national music for them personally, for other citizens (the collective) and Croatian nation-state in general, as well as 3) certain issues surrounding music as symbol of contemporary Croatian national identity.

music; national symbols; national identity; Croatia; micro-sociology

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