The Balkans as the "destructive landscape" of the astonishing otherness

Authors

  • Nina Alihodžić-Hadžalić Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo

Keywords:

balkanism, ideology, orientalism, postcolonial theory, posthumanism, poststructuralism, novel

Abstract

A contemptuous view of the Balkans is of a displaying nature directed towards multiple projections that hold within themselves „civilisation mission“ enforced through various aspects in order to, by conquering others and constructing identity of the otherness, produce a proper legitimising stronghold. It, together with narcissism, creates astonishing otherness. A contemporary postmodern philosophical thought clearly finds it necessary to discuss differences- particularly when having in mind a globalization phenomena, full of paradoxes, universalism supposed to act as an imaginary filter for all discussions on submissiveness, discrimination, „conquering the Other“ by using „imperialism of imagination“. The objective of this work is to remind us of those discussions held in the last decade trying to redesign discourse images of the Balkans. Also, this work is supposed to make us use scientific and critical analysis to rethink up-to-date narrative colonisation of the Balkans which has turned out not to be a mere excess but has rather called for civilisation changes we have witnessed. If we accomplish the task to define this term with the objective to understand it fully and scientifically with new cognition that there does exist a possibility to speak up through „creativity of bordering mind“ we will make a breakthrough. Scientific research should hopefully represent an addition towards „uncovering“ the relation between literature and ideology. Therefore, we will probably be able to see an obvious search for one‘s own identity through conceptually acceptable discourse of balkanism in which the astonishing I is a „ closeness covered with distance“.

Published

23.09.2022