“Ready for the Homeland”
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Keywords

Texts
memory
hate speech
symbols
cultural explosion
Za dom spremni
Croatia

How to Cite

Damčević, K. (2025). “Ready for the Homeland”: The Semiotics of Hate Speech and Memory in Post-Conflict Croatia. ANNALES, SERIES HISTORIA ET SOCIOLOGIA, 35(4), 443–458. https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHS.2025.29

Abstract

This paper examines the role of cultural texts in post-conflict societies, focusing on hate speech and identity formation through the lens of cultural semiotics. It analyzes the Ustaša salute Ready for the Homeland” (Za dom spremni, ZDS) in Croatia, exploring its symbolic function and normalization within institutional frameworks. The study shows how declarations such as the Croatian Homeland War Declaration act as institutionalized cultural texts that legitimize exclusionary symbols like ZDS. These texts embed such symbols into the dominant post-war memory regime, reinforcing polarization and shaping collective identity.

https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHS.2025.29
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