Abstrakt
This paper questions the linkages between turbofolk and politics in Serbia in the 1990s. turbofolk, as a music genre, is mostly understood as "the soundtrack" of Milosevic's regime, as a symbol of the Serbian side in the civil war in Yugoslavia and as a cultural product of the time. But, the views on how much turbofolk and Serbian politics came to be intertwined in the 90s differ.
In order to study these different perceptions, I used interviews and participant observation as a research method. I interviewed two target groups.
The first group was recruited from a generation born in the 50s and 60s, and the second from those born in the late 80s and 90s. Their respective understandings of turbofolk turned out to be very different; this in turn proved crucial for understanding the roots and dynamics of turbofolk.
The older generation associated turbofolk predominantly with the politics of the 90s and with nationalistic tendencies, whereas the younger generations have perceived it as an integral part of the country's culture. Since the 90s, turbofolk has not disappear but it was transformed, and it is still very popular in Serbia.
I have conducted participant observation in clubs and bars where turbofolk is consumed today. These interviews and observations led to the conclusion that even though turbofolk was a great part of the culture in 90s and had a significant role in the propaganda of Milošević's regime on several occasions, the genre itself has much older roots and represents a more general Yugoslavian cultural heritage where Serbian politics of the 90s play just minor role.
The paper explores the way in which the memory of different generations of Serbs has shaped their perceptions of this genre.