HISTORY OF SERBIAN AND CROATIAN CULTURE

The course is a part of the BA degree programme “Languages, Civilization and the Science of Language” and aims to provide students with basic knowledge on the culture of the post-Yugoslav countries.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- understand the main historical, cultural, socio-political and literary expressions of the post-Yugoslav world from the Middle Ages to the present day;
- approach the historical-cultural analysis of literary texts through an appropriate contextualization and application of literary theories;
- consciously examine and evaluate historical facts and cultural phenomena and formulate their own judgments on various aspects of the post-Yugoslav world;
- communicate course content in a clear and technically adequate manner, using a register adapted to the communicative context;
- critically consult reference texts and selected literary works.

Basic knowledge of the history of 20th century Europe and of geography of the Balkans.

The course aims to provide a basic knowledge of the political, cultural and literary situation of the lands that make up the Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian states today. Particular attention will be given to the sociolinguistic situation in post-Yugoslav countries and to the creation of national and supranational mythologies in these countries.

Some of the topics:
The sociolinguistic situation in the Yugoslav countries
From Illyrian movement to Yugoslav idea
Internal migrations: the phenomenon of "cancelled citizens" in Slovenia
Yugoslav cultural policies
Cinema in socialist Yugoslavia
Ivo Andrić and his contribution to the South Slavic literatures
“The Bridge on the Drina” by I. Andrić
The existential novel by Meša Selimović
Miroslav Krleža and Croatian literature
Stećci: history and literary inspiration
The success of Serbian and Croatian folk poetry in Romantic Europe
Folklore and contemporary literature
Medieval myths in contemporary perspective

Main textbooks:

D. Jelčić, Storia della letteratura croata, a cura di Ruggero Cattaneo, Milano, Guepard Noir, 2005.
B. Mitrović, M. Mitrović, Storia della cultura e della letteratura serba, Lecce, Argo, 2015.

Recommended textbooks:

A. Pitassio, Storia dell'Europa Orientale, Perugia, Morlacchi Editore, 2011, pp.127-135; 157-183.
E. Ivetić, Jugoslavia sognata. Jugoslavismo dalle origini, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2012.
E. Ivetić, I Balcani dopo i Balcani. Eredità e identità, Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2015.

Compulsory reading:

I. Andrić, Il ponte sulla Drina, traduzione di D. Badnjević, Milano, Mondadori, 2016.
M. Krleža, Il ritorno di Filip Latinovicz, traduzione di S. Ferrari, Rovereto, Zandonai, 2009 (alternatively: M. Krleža, Il Dio Marte croato, Milano, Hefti edizioni, 2017).

The documentary "Cinema komunisto" by Mila Turajlić (2010) is also mandatory. You can borrow it from our library (BALI).

Students' knowledge will be assessed through both written and oral tests. To access the oral exam, students must previously pass a multiple-choice test on the topics covered during the course.

Lectures with extensive use of multimedia materials; seminars with guest lecturers.

Italian

Participants of the "Minor" course are supposed to follow the first five lessons (10 hours) dedicated to the culture, history and politics of the "second Yugoslavia".
In addition to the mandatory literature, non-attending students are invited to read two other novels to be chosen from works written by Ivo Andrić, Miloš Crnjanski, Miroslav Krleža and Meša Selimović. They are also invited to contact the professor at the beginning of the semester.

written and oral