Croatian language standardization and the production of nationalized political subjects through language? Perspectives from the social sciences and humanities

2016
Authors
Hodges, Andrew
Abercrombie, Amelia
Balazev, Marina
Costa, James

Kapović, Mate
Marković, Jelena

Petrović, Tanja
Spasić, Ivana

Article (Published version)
Metadata
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This paper focuses on language policy and social changes which have taken place in Croatia during and since the 1991-5 war. I first describe the historical background, the war and the nineties being marked by excesses of linguistic purism and prescriptivism, alongside the formation of post-Yugoslav states in which national belonging was key to defining citizenship. ! rough examining the relationship between changing linguistic and social orders, I raise a number of issues for discussion. I argue that the legal framework of minority language rights has consolidated and legitimated a nationalist imaginary, increasing social divisions and reinforcing hierarchies asserted by some nationalists between national categories. For this reason, I suggest that the uncritical endorsement of or promotion of linguistic diversity can be dangerous. Second, in an activist-anthropological vein, I discuss possible reasons why academics trained in the social sciences and humanities have rarely participated... in sociolinguistic debates concerning the new Croatian standard. I suggest such discussions could greatly benefit from interventions by social scientists, so as to bring sociolinguistics into contact with other strands of the social sciences and humanities and move away from what I believe to be a problematic policy focus on "identity".
Keywords:
linguistic anthropology / language policy / Croatia / activismSource:
Etnoloska Tribina, 2016, 46, 39, 3-91Publisher:
- Croatian Ethnological Soc, Zagreb
DOI: 10.15378/1848-9540.2016.39.01
ISSN: 0351-1944
WoS: 000439364100001
Scopus: 2-s2.0-85010858534
Institution/Community
Sociologija / SociologyTY - JOUR AU - Hodges, Andrew AU - Abercrombie, Amelia AU - Balazev, Marina AU - Costa, James AU - Kapović, Mate AU - Marković, Jelena AU - Petrović, Tanja AU - Spasić, Ivana PY - 2016 UR - http://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2238 AB - This paper focuses on language policy and social changes which have taken place in Croatia during and since the 1991-5 war. I first describe the historical background, the war and the nineties being marked by excesses of linguistic purism and prescriptivism, alongside the formation of post-Yugoslav states in which national belonging was key to defining citizenship. ! rough examining the relationship between changing linguistic and social orders, I raise a number of issues for discussion. I argue that the legal framework of minority language rights has consolidated and legitimated a nationalist imaginary, increasing social divisions and reinforcing hierarchies asserted by some nationalists between national categories. For this reason, I suggest that the uncritical endorsement of or promotion of linguistic diversity can be dangerous. Second, in an activist-anthropological vein, I discuss possible reasons why academics trained in the social sciences and humanities have rarely participated in sociolinguistic debates concerning the new Croatian standard. I suggest such discussions could greatly benefit from interventions by social scientists, so as to bring sociolinguistics into contact with other strands of the social sciences and humanities and move away from what I believe to be a problematic policy focus on "identity". PB - Croatian Ethnological Soc, Zagreb T2 - Etnoloska Tribina T1 - Croatian language standardization and the production of nationalized political subjects through language? Perspectives from the social sciences and humanities EP - 91 IS - 39 SP - 3 VL - 46 DO - 10.15378/1848-9540.2016.39.01 ER -
@article{ author = "Hodges, Andrew and Abercrombie, Amelia and Balazev, Marina and Costa, James and Kapović, Mate and Marković, Jelena and Petrović, Tanja and Spasić, Ivana", year = "2016", abstract = "This paper focuses on language policy and social changes which have taken place in Croatia during and since the 1991-5 war. I first describe the historical background, the war and the nineties being marked by excesses of linguistic purism and prescriptivism, alongside the formation of post-Yugoslav states in which national belonging was key to defining citizenship. ! rough examining the relationship between changing linguistic and social orders, I raise a number of issues for discussion. I argue that the legal framework of minority language rights has consolidated and legitimated a nationalist imaginary, increasing social divisions and reinforcing hierarchies asserted by some nationalists between national categories. For this reason, I suggest that the uncritical endorsement of or promotion of linguistic diversity can be dangerous. Second, in an activist-anthropological vein, I discuss possible reasons why academics trained in the social sciences and humanities have rarely participated in sociolinguistic debates concerning the new Croatian standard. I suggest such discussions could greatly benefit from interventions by social scientists, so as to bring sociolinguistics into contact with other strands of the social sciences and humanities and move away from what I believe to be a problematic policy focus on "identity".", publisher = "Croatian Ethnological Soc, Zagreb", journal = "Etnoloska Tribina", title = "Croatian language standardization and the production of nationalized political subjects through language? Perspectives from the social sciences and humanities", pages = "91-3", number = "39", volume = "46", doi = "10.15378/1848-9540.2016.39.01" }
Hodges, A., Abercrombie, A., Balazev, M., Costa, J., Kapović, M., Marković, J., Petrović, T.,& Spasić, I.. (2016). Croatian language standardization and the production of nationalized political subjects through language? Perspectives from the social sciences and humanities. in Etnoloska Tribina Croatian Ethnological Soc, Zagreb., 46(39), 3-91. https://doi.org/10.15378/1848-9540.2016.39.01
Hodges A, Abercrombie A, Balazev M, Costa J, Kapović M, Marković J, Petrović T, Spasić I. Croatian language standardization and the production of nationalized political subjects through language? Perspectives from the social sciences and humanities. in Etnoloska Tribina. 2016;46(39):3-91. doi:10.15378/1848-9540.2016.39.01 .
Hodges, Andrew, Abercrombie, Amelia, Balazev, Marina, Costa, James, Kapović, Mate, Marković, Jelena, Petrović, Tanja, Spasić, Ivana, "Croatian language standardization and the production of nationalized political subjects through language? Perspectives from the social sciences and humanities" in Etnoloska Tribina, 46, no. 39 (2016):3-91, https://doi.org/10.15378/1848-9540.2016.39.01 . .