Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies
Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies
Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies
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<strong>Cultural</strong> <strong>Identity</strong> <strong>Politics</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> (<strong>Post</strong>-)<strong>Transitional</strong> <strong>Societies</strong><br />
- a perception developed for products “made <strong>in</strong> Yugoslavia”, represent<strong>in</strong>g good quality<br />
food or <strong>in</strong>dustrial goods at affordable prices both for trad<strong>in</strong>g companies and for<br />
consumers.<br />
A new perception developed, accept<strong>in</strong>g Yugoslavia as a political nation, characterized<br />
by its overcom<strong>in</strong>g of ethnic and religious divisions among Yugoslav citizens, up to <strong>the</strong><br />
po<strong>in</strong>t that exist<strong>in</strong>g ethno-religious differences with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Yugoslav community were<br />
simply ignored. The old perception, based on ethno-religious differences, survived with<strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> Catholic Church, which was aware of <strong>the</strong> religious divide between Catholic Croats<br />
and Slovenes, for whom <strong>the</strong>y felt responsible, and members of <strong>the</strong> Orthodox Church<br />
and Muslims, who were part of ano<strong>the</strong>r community. The old perception also survived<br />
with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ustasha exile community, which had a strong foothold <strong>in</strong> Austria and did<br />
not fit <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Yugoslav identity. A revisionist nationalist Croat diaspora, <strong>the</strong>y had close<br />
relationships with Austrian conservatives and <strong>the</strong> Vatican, and ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed an ethnocultural<br />
self-def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>in</strong>stead of a socio-political self-def<strong>in</strong>ition of national identity.<br />
Serbian nationalism, which lacked similar footholds <strong>in</strong> Austrian society, could more<br />
easily identify with <strong>the</strong> Yugoslav nation. Both nationalisms challenged <strong>the</strong> idea of an all-<br />
Yugoslav identity, embrac<strong>in</strong>g people from all ethnic and religious groups, which ga<strong>in</strong>ed<br />
ground <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Yugoslav diaspora dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> 1970s and 1980s. After Tito’s death <strong>in</strong> 1980,<br />
which co<strong>in</strong>cided with Yugoslavia’s debt crisis, social conflict developed along ethnic l<strong>in</strong>es,<br />
which aga<strong>in</strong> came to dom<strong>in</strong>ate Austrians’ perception of Yugoslav citizens’ identities.<br />
Destroy<strong>in</strong>g Yugoslavia: 1990 onwards<br />
At <strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> 1990s Austrian politics heavily <strong>in</strong>tervened <strong>in</strong> Yugoslav<br />
affairs. It was <strong>the</strong> time when ethnicization of social and economic problems took place,<br />
caus<strong>in</strong>g brutal eruptions and determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g future cultural identity <strong>in</strong> all six republics.<br />
The weakness of <strong>the</strong> federal structures with<strong>in</strong> Yugoslavia was evident and Vienna used<br />
this chance to deepen <strong>the</strong> crisis of <strong>the</strong> state by support<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> secessionist elites and<br />
movements <strong>in</strong> Croatia and Slovenia and later on <strong>in</strong> Bosnia.<br />
The reasons for this one-sided and <strong>the</strong>refore destructive <strong>in</strong>volvement were multiple.<br />
Economically <strong>the</strong> strongest regions <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Yugoslav federation were situated <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
north: function<strong>in</strong>g mult<strong>in</strong>ational companies such as Gorenje, Lek or Elan had good<br />
<strong>in</strong>ternational relations not just with Austrian firms at <strong>the</strong> time, not forgett<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> tourist<br />
sector, where millions of Austrian visitors came to <strong>the</strong> Slovene, Croat and Montenegr<strong>in</strong><br />
coasts every year. So foreign <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>se economic fields looked profitable after<br />
<strong>the</strong> civil wars ended <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mid-1990s, and this potential was also fulfilled <strong>in</strong> many cases,<br />
such as <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> bank<strong>in</strong>g sector, tourism and energy.<br />
<strong>Cultural</strong>ly <strong>the</strong> historic ties from Habsburg times played a certa<strong>in</strong> role especially for<br />
<strong>the</strong> conservative right w<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Austrian politics that became stronger <strong>in</strong> this period of<br />
time. The Croat right w<strong>in</strong>g and Catholic backed elite were <strong>the</strong>refore considered as a<br />
“natural ally” of Vienna. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side you could see a rebirth of historic resentment<br />
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