Serbs in the Eyes of Croats

Abstract

To be Croatian, is not to be Serb. To be Croatian, is to be Catholic, not Orthodox Christian. For many, including participants in this study, Croatian identity is constructed in opposition to its “other”, the Serbs. This “other” is defined significantly by the memory and narrative of the Homeland War. This chapter explores these constructions, links them to representative data and examines their implications. Serbs have come to embody the collective guilt of the Serbian state and the suffering of Croatia. The Orthodox Christian Church is seen as aggressive, as opposed to the forgiving Catholic Church. The implications for the Serb minority are significant. They are defined in terms of security. Language rights, exemplified by the battle over Cyrillic signs in Vukovar, are seen as a threat to the Croatian nation and state. The result is that Serbs are tolerated, but their rights are consistently curtailed.