Nation-building at Сrossroads: European Union and Russian Influence on Serbian Identity Transformations in 2000s

This research on the EU’s and Russia’s influence over the Serbian national identity reveals ambiguousness in the Serbian perception of their national identity. The EU’s and Russian influences are found to further polarise the already divided Serbian national body, thus preventing the Serbian nation-building process. The EU’s influence is found to be pushing for a change of the Serbian national identity directly through the policies of conditioning. Serbia’s Euro-integration seems to be strongly driven by materialistic incentives and only to a limited extent by the lesson-drawing process. The Russian influence is found to be indirect and oriented towards the preservation of the historical Serbian national model. Russia is seen by some Serbs as a protector and a role model for the nation-building process. Overall, the Serbian national identity is seen as a dynamic category indicating that the Serbian nation is currently in the process of rethinking itself.