Ethnic Stereotypes in the Discourse of Former-Yugoslav TV and Cinema

This paper is an attempt to analyze particular scenes from the TV series “Složna braća” and “Crni Gruja” and the film “Balcancan” for the purpose of surveying the featured stereotypical representations of former-Yugoslav ethnicities, identifying their roles within the said examples of film and TV discourse, and proving that familiarity with the discursive practices of these particular cultures (discourse communities) is essential for interpreting these artistic discourses (texts) in the manner intended by their authors. Ethnic stereotypes are, therefore, discussed as socio-cultural constructs or myths generated by the discursive practices of a particular culture, as, it is discourses that “bring cultural objects into being by naming them, defining them and delimiting their field of operation” (Stam, Burgoyne and Flitterman-Lewis 2005: 216). They are also viewed as part of a larger structure – a discursive universe comprised of interrelated mythical texts (Johansen and Larsen 2002: 55–56) shaped by former-Yugoslav discourse communities. For this reason, the mentioned texts will be analyzed as sharing the said discursive universe