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Erased languages, aroused alliances -<br />
language policy and post-Yugoslav political and cultural<br />
confi gurations <strong>in</strong> Slovenia<br />
Brankica Petković<br />
Abstract<br />
With the ga<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g of <strong>in</strong>dependence and the adoption of the new constitution, all provisions<br />
that perta<strong>in</strong>ed to other nations of the former Yugoslavia, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the provision on<br />
language, were left out of the new legal and formal framework <strong>in</strong> Slovenia. Although many<br />
of the people this relates to acquired Slovenian citizenship on the grounds of permanent<br />
residence <strong>in</strong> Slovenia, and despite the commitment on the part of the Assembly of the<br />
Republic of Slovenia that the Slovenian state would ensure “to all members of other nations<br />
the right to multifarious cultural and l<strong>in</strong>guistic development”, the status and the situation of<br />
other languages of the former Yugoslavia rema<strong>in</strong>ed unregulated. Consequently, it is possible<br />
to conclude that peoples of other nations of the former Yugoslavia <strong>in</strong> Slovenia along with<br />
their languages are non-<strong>in</strong>tegrated “remnants” who were excluded from the <strong>in</strong>ternal cultural<br />
and social division <strong>in</strong> the process of the construction of the Slovenian national identity<br />
and national state, and rema<strong>in</strong>ed outside the cultural borders. Although their knowledge<br />
of a mother tongue should be an asset and part of their credentials, <strong>in</strong> the present social<br />
circumstances and l<strong>in</strong>guistic reality this is almost a handicap and a source of stigma. Th e<br />
situation has accord<strong>in</strong>gly been refl ected <strong>in</strong> media policy through an absence of measures<br />
and actions aimed at regular production of media programme content that would refl ect<br />
the specifi c social and cultural situation of these communities. Th is paper exam<strong>in</strong>es how the<br />
language situation of people from other nations of the former Yugoslavia <strong>in</strong> Slovenia has<br />
changed with the <strong>in</strong>dependence of Slovenia, how it has aff ected the specifi c post-Yugoslav<br />
reconstruction and reposition<strong>in</strong>g of cultural identities, and how it is supported by the<br />
media system <strong>in</strong> Slovenia.<br />
Keywords: language policy, cultural identity, erased residents, l<strong>in</strong>guistic human<br />
rights, m<strong>in</strong>ority protection, nations of former Yugoslavia <strong>in</strong> Slovenia<br />
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