Reports from "Balvanija": imagologic articulation of rebellion of Croatian Serbs in "Slobodna Dalmacija" and "Glas Slavonije"

Članak nudi imagološku analizu izvještavanja o pobuni Srba u Hrvatskoj u dva regionalno snažna dnevna lista: Slobodnoj Dalmaciji i Glasu Slavonije tijekom 1990. i 1991. godine. Izvještavanje i komentiranje samih početaka ratnih zbivanja u dnevnom tisku promatra se kroz tri česta i zastupljena skupa imagema preko koje se percipiralo Srbe u Hrvatskoj: imagem “Balkana” i “Europe” kao semantički suprotstavljenih pojmova kroz koje se percipiralo Srbe i Hrvate, imageme “hajdučiji” i “razbojništvu” i narativ o “zavjeraštvu”. Svi navedeni imagemi evocirali su etničke stereotipe i poticali strah i mržnju prema Srbima i s vremenom su postupno uklopljeni u dominantan nacionalistički narativ.This paper deals with imagological analysis of media reports on the Serb uprising in Croatia in two regionally strong dailies: “Slobodna Dalmacija” and “Glas Slavonije” during the years 1990 and 1991. Reporting and commenting on the events that immediately preceded start of the Yugoslav Wars in daily press is viewed through three frequently represented sets of imagems through which Serbs in Croatia were perceived: imagems of “Balkans” and semantically opposed term “Europe”, imagems of “Haiduks” and “brigandry”, and the imagological narrative of “conspiracy”. All these narratives evoked ethnic stereotypes and encouraged fear and hatred towards Serbs, and over time they gradually formed a part of imaginary of the dominant nationalist narrative