Constructing the Slovenian nation in the field of orientalism: an example of seasonal workers from the former Yugoslavia

Cilj diplomskega dela je s teoretskim okvirjem, kritično analizo diskurza in van Dijkovim konceptom ideološkega kvadrata problematizirati medijske reprezentacije delavcev iz nekdanje Jugoslavije, ki so se v časniku Delo kot proces orientaliziranja pojavile po letu 2009, ko so propadla večja gradbena podjetja. Z obravnavo koncepta nacionalne identitete kot zamišljenega konstrukta, ki se konstituira v diskurzu, poskuša delo raziskati, katere so ključne orientalistične teme, diskurzivne in jezikovne strategije ter tipični vidiki slovenstva pri procesu orientaliziranja delavcev iz nekdanje Jugoslavije, ki služijo kot orodja za izgradnjo slovenske nacionalne identitete. Sorodne raziskave vidijo t. i. zagovorniški diskurz kot paradoksalno problematičen, saj v medijski diskurz vnaša nove strategije orientaliziranja. Slednje je tudi ugotovitev naše raziskave, ki orientaliziranje v medijskih tekstih identificira skozi štiri značilne orientalistične teme: inferiornost, neracionalnost, zaostalost, tradicionalizem in prisotnost antagonizma, ki se na eni strani kaže kot zagovarjanje orientalistične logike skozi obtoževanje delavcev za njihovo vsesplošno marginaliziranost, na drugi strani pa kot dvomljenje v orientalistično logiko skozi poskus identifikacije na podlagi značilnih aspektov slovenstva.The aim of this diploma thesis is to problematise the media representations of workers from the former Yugoslavia, which appeared in Delo newspaper as a process of orientalisation after 2009, when large construction companies collapsed. With the help of the theoretical framework, critical discourse analysis and van Dijk’s concept of the ideological square we shall analyse the key oriental topics and discursive linguistic strategies and the typical aspects of Slovenes. This will be done in connection with the process of orientalising workers from the former Yugoslavia, who serve as tools for building a Slovenian national identity. Related studies see advocacy discourse as paradoxically problematic, since it introduces new orientalization strategies into the media discourse. The findings confirm the presence of orientalisation in media texts through four orientalist themes: inferiority, irrationality, backwardness, traditionalism, and the presence of antagonism. The latter is on the one hand shown as defending orientalist logic through accusation of workers due to their general marginalisation, while on the other hand we can see it as casting doubt into the orientalist logic thorough an attempt of identification based on the typical Slovenian aspects