“I, a European”: Cultural Representation of Croatia on the Path to the European Union

Ovaj rad se bavi načinima institucionalne i spontane samoreprezentacije Republike Hrvatske na putu u Europsku uniju. Utemeljen je na etnografiji programa EU bus Hrvatska koji je 2007. godine pokrenula Delegacija Europske Unije u Republici Hrvatskoj. Etnografsko istraživanje obuhvaća izvedbu programa u raznim hrvatskim gradovima te završni događaj identitetnog oslikavanja Republike Hrvatske u osvit simboličkog pristupanja Europskoj uniji ostvaren u službenom programu svečane proslave. Rad propituje strategije reprezentacijskih odgovora, to jest kontrareakcija na simboličke poticaje „susreta“ Hrvatske i Europske unije tijekom procesa pristupanja.The paper deals with different ways of institutional and spontaneous self-representation of the Republic of Croatia on the path to joining the European Union. It is based on the ethnography of EU Bus Croatia Programme, which was launched by the Delegation of the European Commission to the Republic of Croatia in 2007. Ethnographic research encompassed the programme implementation in different Croatian cities and the final event, including the creation of Croatian visual identity on the eve of the symbolic accession to the European Union, as a part of the programme of the official celebration ceremony. The paper questions representational speeches’ strategies, i.e. the counter response to the symbolic promptings which were calling for the “meeting” of Croatia and the European Union throughout the accession process