"The book explores the nexus of intellectual activity and nation-building from a critical discourse-analytical perspective. By examining how public intellectuals from Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina commented on key national events in editorials and opinion pieces, it offers unique insights into contemporary nation-building discourses in an enlarging Europe. Through a detailed reconstruction of the debates concerning the selected events, the book also provides fresh empirical evidence of the implications and challenges of post-socialist transition, post-conflict reconciliation, democratisation and European integration in the post-Yugoslav region. Its versatile framework, which innovatively combines sociological and linguistic approaches to the discursive positioning of intellectuals, may be readily applied to the analysis of intellectual engagement with current affairs and public life in general"--.

• Speaking for the Nation
• Editorial page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication page
• Table of contents
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• Chapter 2. The post-Yugoslav context: Intellectuals and nations in transition
  • 2.1 Origins and crisis of the Yugoslav project
  • 2.2 (Post-)Yugoslav transition: The unique trajectory of intellectuals from Yugoslavism to ethno-nationalism
    • 2.2.1 Post-communist transition in Europe: Intellectuals from a position of primacy to marginalisation
    • 2.2.2 Uncovering the Yugoslav ‘paradox’
  • 2.3 Unfinished transition: Contemporary challenges facing post-Yugoslav societies
    • 2.3.1 Post-communist transition: An unfinished process
    • 2.3.2 The post-conflict situation
    • 2.3.3 Democratisation and European integration
    • 2.3.4 Transition and its (social) discontents
• Chapter 3. Intellectuals and nation-building: An interdisciplinary critical discourse-analytical approach
  • 3.1 Intellectuals and discourse: A complex relationship
    • 3.1.1 Towards a definition of ‘the intellectual’
    • 3.1.2 Intellectual spokespersonship between positioning and discourse
  • 3.2 Spokespersonship for the nation: Intellectuals as nation-makers
    • 3.2.1 The modern intellectual as a ‘nation-maker’
    • 3.2.2 Intellectuals and nation-building in the contemporary world
  • 3.3 The representation of the nation in public discourse
    • 3.3.1 The discursive representation of the nation: Macro-topics
  • 3.4 Intellectual spokespersonship for the nation: A framework for critical discourse analysis
    • 3.4.1 The Discourse-Historical Approach to critical discourse studies
    • 3.4.2 A framework for the analysis of intellectual spokespersonship for the nation
      • First component: Macro-strategies of construction of the intellectual self
      • Second component: Macro-strategies of intellectual spokespersonship for the nation
      • Third component: Macro-strategies of representation of the nation in public discourse
  • 3.5 Design of the research
    • 3.5.1 First step: Opinion pieces as an arena for intellectual debate
    • 3.5.2 Second step: Selecting the case studies
      • Case study 1 – Serbia: The aftermath of the declaration of independence of Kosovo in 2008
      • Case study 2 – Croatia’s accession into the European Union in 2013
      • Case study 3 – Bosnia and Herzegovina: The 2014 anti-government protests
    • 3.5.3 Third step: Selecting representative newspapers and magazines
    • 3.5.4 Fourth step: Creation of the data sample
    • 3.5.5 Overview of the final samples for the three case studies
• Chapter 4. Serbia: The aftermath of the declaration of independence of Kosovo in 2008
  • 4.1 Strategies of construction of the intellectual self
    • 4.1.1 Construction of the intellectual self, based on engagement and attitude
    • 4.1.2 Construction of the intellectual self, based on knowledge and expertise
    • 4.1.3 Construction of the intellectual self, based on status and membership
  • 4.2 Strategies of intellectual spokespersonship for the nation
    • 4.2.1 The intellectual as political guide for the nation
    • 4.2.2 The intellectual as educator/emancipator of the nation
    • 4.2.3 The intellectual as promoter/defender of the nation’s values and distinctive character
  • 4.3 The discursive representation of Serbia as a nation
    • 4.3.1 Serbian society as being in a chronic state of crisis
    • 4.3.2 Serbia as a deeply divided society
    • 4.3.3 Serbia as weak and isolated on the international stage
    • 4.3.4 Serbia as a nation driven by its historical and mythical past
• Chapter 5. Croatia’s accession into the European Union in 2013
  • 5.1 Strategies of construction of the intellectual self
    • 5.1.1 Construction of the intellectual self, based on engagement and attitude
    • 5.1.2 Construction of the intellectual self, based on knowledge and expertise
  • 5.2 Strategies of intellectual spokespersonship for the nation
    • 5.2.1 The intellectual as political guide for the nation
    • 5.2.2 The intellectual as promoter/defender of the nation’s values and distinctive character
    • 5.2.3 The intellectual as educator/emancipator of the nation
  • 5.3 The discursive representation of Croatia as a nation
    • 5.3.1 The uniqueness and specificity of Croatian identity
    • 5.3.2 European integration as a chance for Croatia to achieve social and political consensus?
    • 5.3.3 The controversial narrative of Croatia’s ‘return to Europe’: A break away from the Yugoslav legacy and the Balkans, or rather a new role in the region?
    • 5.3.4 Croatia and the EU: From dependency to equal partnership
• Chapter 6. Bosnia and Herzegovina: The 2014 anti-government protests
  • 6.1 Strategies of construction of the intellectual self
    • 6.1.1 Construction of the intellectual self, based on engagement and attitude
    • 6.1.2 Construction of the intellectual self, based on knowledge and expertise
    • 6.1.3 Construction of the intellectual self, based on status and membership
  • 6.2 Strategies of intellectual spokespersonship for the nation
    • 6.2.1 The intellectual as political guide for the nation
    • 6.2.2 The intellectual as emancipator/educator of the nation
  • 6.3 The discursive representation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a nation
    • 6.3.1 Bosnia and Herzegovina as a dysfunctional society facing an uncertain future
    • 6.3.2 Bosnia and Herzegovina as a political community dominated by corrupt elites
    • 6.3.3 Bosnia and Herzegovina as a nation marked by a deep divide between the people and the elites
    • 6.3.4 The increasingly contested hegemony of the ethno-political paradigm
• Chapter 7. Patterns of intellectual spokespersonship for the nation in contemporary Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • 7.1 Serbia’s intellectuals: Still ‘saviours’ of a nation in crisis
  • 7.2 Croatia’s intellectuals: Redefining the nation’s role in an integrating Europe
  • 7.3 Bosnia and Herzegovina’s intellectuals: Seeking a pivotal role in the country’s ongoing social transformation
• Chapter 8. Conclusion
• List of references
  • Primary sources
  • Secondary sources
• Index