In the Wake of the Balkan Myth: Questions of Identity and Modernity

by David A. Norris

The epitome of the myth, says Norris (Serbian and Croatian studies, U. of Nottingham) is the total destruction of civilization and a return to an atavistic, pre-modern state; and its promulgators are foreigners who assume themselves superior and know little about local realities. He points out its appearance in recent novels and movies about the region and its wars, and characterizes it as cultural colonialism that began over 150 years ago and continues to the latest news reports. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

182 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Erin Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Massive sections dedicated to plot summary of various texts, with analysis being very thin on the ground. No real conclusion, just a couple of pages at the end of the final chapter rehashing the introduction without giving me an answer to the Big Why -- why does any of this matter? Essentially, there are mental models of the Balkans (exactly 2 models which are essentially two sides of one coin) and both foreign authors and Balkan (former Yugoslavian) authors rely on them at different scales. The exploration of the implications of this, as well as any deep reflection on the differences between foreign and native representations, was completely lacking.