Browsing by Author "Matikainen, Ulla"

The research of nationalism is spread through different branch of science. One way to research nationalism is to see it through its origins. The ethnic composition of a group of people can be one reason for the rise of nationalism. Also, modern developments in society can be the starting point for nationalism and nationalistic idealization. Furthermore, nationalism can be researched through new ways which combine more than one discipline. Ethnic nationalism includes emotional concepts, for example, people, language, and symbols which makes it so emotionally charged. Due to its emotionally charged nature ethnic nationalism can be a reason for conflicts. This research looks at the dissolution of Yugoslavia (1991–1995) as an example how ethnic nationalism can be one of the core problems in a society and the cause for an ethnic conflict. The research is based on literature. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was born after the second World War. The constituent republics were Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In addition to the republics there were two autonomous provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo. The area has gone through many wars over the last hundred years and the latest of them was the Yugoslavia wars. The area has tried to create a union of Slavic people and strong sense of nationalism, but the effort has not really created a permanent long-lasting solution. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the first successful effort to create an alliance between the nations in the Balkans area. The political changes, for example, the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union created political problems in Yugoslavia. Due to the political turmoil several nationalistic leaders were able to get in to power by using nationalistic rhetoric and symbols. Especially ethnic rhetoric was used by the leaders and other political figures. The dissolution of Yugoslavia was a series of wars, political maneuvering and slow response from the international community. The conflict was ended by Dayton Agreement in December 1995. Nationalism can be a way to define one’s country but at the same time nationalism can be so fascinating that people can go to war and conduct acts of violence. Despite the research nationalism can rise very easily and unnoticed. Ethnicity and ethnic nationalism use symbols and rhetoric that is charged with emotion. The emotional connection makes it dangerous and while strong emotions relate to nationalism the result is usually an ethnic conflict. The dissolution of Yugoslavia was not only an ethnic conflict. The conflict started as a political and economic problem and the areas ethnic tensions made the conflict very brutal. The political elite made the conflict last longer by using nationalistic rhetoric, propaganda and symbols to gain more political power and influence. Some of the leaders managed to keep themselves in power even after the war. The international intervention was slow and ineffective causing a lot of criticism. In this research sports are used to illustrate the connection between nationalism and sporting event. The main idea is to see how a nationalism can be seen in the society and it is not just an armed conflict. In the case of Yugoslavia, the underlining ethnic tension have been there for centuries and they have not been resolved. Sports and the fan groups are one example to see how the nationalistic energy is still present in the Balkans area.