Not All (Language) Nationalisms Are Built the Same: The Case of Former Yugoslavia

Kapović, Mate 2025, „Not All (Language) Nationalisms Are Built the Same: The Case of Former Yugoslavia“, in: Vujović, Novica (Ed.), Cetinjski filološki dani IV. Zbornik radova s međunarodnoga naučnog simpozijuma održanog na Cetinju 6–8. septembra 2023, Fakultet za crnogorski jezik i književnost–University of Kansas, Cetinje–Lawrence: 67–98The article discusses the language complex of Bosnian, Montenegrin,Croatian and Serbian standards (BCMS). The paper opens withthe linguistic situation concerning the breakup of Yugoslavia, explainingthat both the concepts of separate standard varieties and the conceptof a unified “Serbo-Croatian” are equally nationalist projects. Therelationship between these varieties is compared to some other languagesituations in the world (with Slavic languages in general, with Arabiclanguages, etc.). It then addresses different types of nationalism inthe former Yugoslavia (primarily separatist and expansionist nationalisms)and criticizes liberal anti-nationalism, which in some instancesfunctions as a cover for language nationalism (using Montenegrin as anexample). A critique of some typicial Western narratives on post-Yugoslavlanguage issues is also given. The article concludes with a reviewof the very peculiar and interesting case of the so-called “Neo-Montenegrin”standardization.