The Concept of the Serbian World: A Copy of the Russian World or a Unique Idea for the Multidimensional Cohesion of the Serbian People?

Abstract

The following article thematizes the newly-established concept of the 'Serbian World' which was initially propelled under the media spotlight in Serbia and the region of former Yugoslavia in 2020. Since becoming popular in the media discourse in both Serbia and the region, the term 'Serbian world' has not been studied or analysed properly nor has it been the topic of academic research as such. Therefore, the author of the thesis reconstructs the cognitive structure of the Serbian world concept in political discourses in contemporary Serbia and the region, using the methodology of cognitive semantics. Moreover, this article analyses the various meanings and dimensions of the 'Serbian World' concept and emphasizes how the concept is used by the various Serbian governments since the dissolution of Yugoslavia in order to develop a unique soft power concept to improve the image of Serbia regionally and internationally. Furthermore, the author analyses the historical roots of the terminology and the concept per se, but also focusses on its relation to the much more famous Russian counterpart - Russkiy mir. Overall, the article gives the first ever overview of the Serbian world concept in which the author concludes that the Serbian world represents a unique multidimensional, but also relatively fluid concept, used by various Serbian and regional social actors, often politicizing and misusing its true meaning.