Chapter 1. Collective memory and media genres

This chapter analyzes Serbian media discourse related to Serbia’s Statehood Day (Dan državnosti) since its introduction, and how the discourse has shaped and reinforced collective memory. Statehood Day is celebrated on 15 February, the same day as a religious holiday and an army holiday. The analysis concerns how Statehood Day discourse relates to collective memory and to the two identity models observable in Serbian public discourse: the civic-democratic model and the national-liberation model. The material analyzed is primarily from well-known newspapers that are representative of the Serbian media landscape. Using Wertsch’s (2002) definition of “remembering” as a mediated action that entails the involvement of active agents and cultural tools, and applying the main categories of political discourse analysis (Chilton 2004), I examine how various genres employed in the media contribute to shaping and reinforcing collective memory, building patriotism, and constructing national identity.