All that turban-folk: Orientalism and neo-folk music in Serbia

Abstract

In this paper I look at the ‘oriental controversy’ of the neo-folk music in Serbia, focusing on the changes in the perception of the longstanding Serbian-Bosnian ensemble Južni vetar (Southern Wind) in the academic circles, media and various segments of the music industry. The affirmative attitude towards the performers and music legacy of Južni vetar, which has in recent years gradually entered the media from the alternative (non-commercial) music and art circles, may be observed in the context of the contemporary globalized music industry which constantly challenges orientalist assumptions and divisions between East and West. The key turning point in this process is the newly-embraced understanding of Južni vetar (and „turban-folk“ in general) as part of Serbia’s cultural heritage. Using a representative sample of academic and media comments, in this paper I shed some light on the shifts in the reception of Južni vetar primarily as an indication of the wider changes in the reception of the Ottoman legacy and contemporary influences of the „Orient“ in the contemporary Serbian culture, not excluding the wider context of Southeastern Europe.

Keywords

• orientalism
• neo-folk music
• južni vetar
• serbia
• yugoslavia