Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
The topic of identity, nationalism, ethnic conflict, in the Balkans have been extensively researched. However, with the ever-growing use of social media for political discourse, and to inform the...Show moreThe topic of identity, nationalism, ethnic conflict, in the Balkans have been extensively researched. However, with the ever-growing use of social media for political discourse, and to inform the public, not much has been researched on how the nationalist tendencies that led to the wars of the 1990s have been incorporated by Balkan users online. Through a combined online and offline research approach that employed ethnographic methods for each, this research sought to compare the influences of nationalist political discourse and how reconciliation is approached. The offline research conducted focused on the everyday symbolic and material reality after the war in Bosnia, and how reconciliation is felt by my interlocutors there. The online research was done by observing a particular Subreddit called r/Balkans_irl, where users create nationalist content that is viewed by some as reclaiming their identities through irony, and as offensive toxic humor by others. This research is significant due to the importance the Western Balkans have gained geopolitically over recent years, particularly after of the war in Ukraine. Despite the negative attitude the EU rightfully has towards its domestic nationalist sentiments, it is important to understand why nationalism has been such a focal point in the region rather than simply trying to get rid of it.Show less
