Constructing National Identity Through Music: The Yu-Mex Case Study

Abstract

Identity theories examine the self-perceptions of individuals and communities, as well as their global political and cultural relations through the concept of national identity, which was forged by the modern state since the 19th century. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1992) serves as a remarkable example of the state-led construction of a national identity. This study aims to investigate how national identity is built through music, focusing on the case of Yugoslavia and the syncretic musical genre of Yu-Mex. Employing a qualitative research design, I have approached the Yu-Mex phenomenon as a historical and cultural case study. The dataset for this research comprises primary sources—notably the seminal film that led the emergence of Yu-Mex, followed by popular records released in Serbo-Croatian by artists of the 1950s and 60s—and secondary sources, such as Miha Mazzini’s 2013 documentary. I have interpreted the emergence, diffusion, and socio-cultural role of this syncretic music genre in the construction of a multi-ethnic Yugoslav national identity by analyzing these cultural products from the perspective of content and discourse analysis. The findings indicate that Yu-Mex music had a positive, albeit indirect, influence on the construction of the Yugoslavian national identity, rather than being a direct product of state engineering.