Overview

"What is the relationship between writing systems and nationalism? How can different alphabets coexist in the same country? What is the destiny of the Cyrillic alphabet in Europe? Giustina Selvelli's original work provides detailed answers to these far-reaching and potentially divisive questions and many more by examining several intriguing debates on topics of alphabets and national identity in a number of countries from the Balkan area over the course of the last 100 years. Following an encompassing perspective on alphabetic diversity, Selvelli, an expert on Southeast European Studies, reconstructs the ideological context of national discourses connected to the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets, also taking a look at the Arabic and Glagolitic scripts, and interweaving issues on the symbolism of the alphabet with the complex recent history of the region, marked by the parallel influences of the East and the West. She also sheds light on the impact of a range of alphabet policies on ethnolinguistic minorities, proposing a new definition of ""alphabetic rights"" with special regard to the multiethnic legacy of the former Ottoman and Habsburg empires. This comprehensive book makes us discover the privileged role that writing systems played in the region's delicate post-imperial and post-socialist transitions, leaving us captivated by peculiar stories such as that of the utopian ""Yugoslav alphabet""."

Full Product Details

Author:   Giustina Selvelli
Publisher:   ibidem-Verlag, Jessica Haunschild u Christian Schon
Imprint:   ibidem-Verlag, Jessica Haunschild u Christian Schon
Weight:   0.666kg
ISBN:  

9783838215372

ISBN 10:   3838215370
Pages:   332
Publication Date:   01 May 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction; Reception of the Abecedar Primer (1925) in Bulgaria; The Latinization Ideology and the Bulgarian Debates; The Contrast Between Arabic and Latin Scripts Among the Bulgarian Turks; Serbo-Croatian in Two Scripts: Digraphia, Alphabet Synthesis and Biliteracy; Cyrillic at War: Script Ideologies in the Independent State of Croatia, 1941-1945; The Rediscovery of Glagolitic: From Regional to National Phenomenon; The Modified Status of Cyrillic in Post-Socialist Croatia and Serbia; Bulgarian Cyrillic Between Tradition and Modernity: The Kronsteiner Affair; The Popular Dimension of the Cyrillic Alphabet and the Rediscovery of Glagolitic; Final Notes; List of References.

Reviews

"""A very important contribution to the study of national identities in the multi-ethnic and multicultural Balkan region. This is a very complex topic, namely the question of the alphabet, and is treated in relation to the important cultural and social consequences within the wider problems of modernization, nation-building, and Europeanization of the various states. Dr. Giustina Selvelli interprets the issue in the light of contemporary critical reflection, emphasizing the highly symbolic value of writing systems and their role in shaping cultural memory and national narratives, demonstrating excellent expertise and contextualization skills."" -Krassimir S. Stantchev, Senior Professor in Slavic Studies, University of Roma Tre, Italy ""Although the topic of language ideologies in the Balkans has attracted the attention of many researches in the fields of sociolinguistics and nationalism studies, none has focused its attention specifically on the question of writing systems. Giustina Selvelli's book makes up for this lack, examining the fascinating issue of graphic diversity and script reform in Southeast Europe, drawing on a number of previously unresearched sources, and combining a national identity perspective with an interdisciplinary and relational approach."" -Aleksander Naumow, Honorary Professor in Slavic Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy"

A very important contribution to the study of national identities in the multi-ethnic and multicultural Balkan region. This is a very complex topic, namely the question of the alphabet, and is treated in relation to the important cultural and social consequences within the wider problems of modernization, nation-building, and Europeanization of the various states. Dr. Giustina Selvelli interprets the issue in the light of contemporary critical reflection, emphasizing the highly symbolic value of writing systems and their role in shaping cultural memory and national narratives, demonstrating excellent expertise and contextualization skills.--Krassimir S. Stantchev, Senior Professor in Slavic Studies, University of Roma Tre, Italy Although the topic of language ideologies in the Balkans has attracted the attention of many researches in the fields of sociolinguistics and nationalism studies, none has focused its attention specifically on the question of writing systems. Giustina Selvelli's book makes up for this lack, examining the fascinating issue of graphic diversity and script reform in Southeast Europe, drawing on a number of previously unresearched sources, and combining a national identity perspective with an interdisciplinary and relational approach.--Aleksander Naumow, Honorary Professor in Slavic Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy

A very important contribution to the study of national identities in the multi-ethnic and multicultural Balkan region. This is a very complex topic, namely the question of the alphabet, and is treated in relation to the important cultural and social consequences within the wider problems of modernization, nation-building, and Europeanization of the various states. Dr. Giustina Selvelli interprets the issue in the light of contemporary critical reflection, emphasizing the highly symbolic value of writing systems and their role in shaping cultural memory and national narratives, demonstrating excellent expertise and contextualization skills. Although the topic of language ideologies in the Balkans has attracted the attention of many researches in the fields of sociolinguistics and nationalism studies, none has focused its attention specifically on the question of writing systems. Giustina Selvelli's book makes up for this lack, examining the fascinating issue of graphic diversity and script reform in Southeast Europe, drawing on a number of previously unresearched sources, and combining a national identity perspective with an interdisciplinary and relational approach.

A very important contribution to the study of national identities in the multi-ethnic and multicultural Balkan region. This is a very complex topic, namely the question of the alphabet, and is treated in relation to the important cultural and social consequences within the wider problems of modernization, nation-building, and Europeanization of the various states. Dr. Giustina Selvelli interprets the issue in the light of contemporary critical reflection, emphasizing the highly symbolic value of writing systems and their role in shaping cultural memory and national narratives, demonstrating excellent expertise and contextualization skills. -Krassimir S. Stantchev, Senior Professor in Slavic Studies, University of Roma Tre, Italy Although the topic of language ideologies in the Balkans has attracted the attention of many researches in the fields of sociolinguistics and nationalism studies, none has focused its attention specifically on the question of writing systems. Giustina Selvelli's book makes up for this lack, examining the fascinating issue of graphic diversity and script reform in Southeast Europe, drawing on a number of previously unresearched sources, and combining a national identity perspective with an interdisciplinary and relational approach. -Aleksander Naumow, Honorary Professor in Slavic Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy

Author Information

Giustina Selvelli is Assistant Professor in Cultural Anthropology at the Department of Cultural History at the University of Nova Gorica, where she researches issues related to borders, migration, cultural diversity, and ethnolinguistic minorities.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions