Rebecca West och resan genom Jugoslavien 1937 : En tolkning utifrån Maria Todorovas teori och begreppet "balkanism"

Sammanfattning: The focus of this research paper is to analyze how Rebecca West’s book Black Lamb & Grey Falcon contributes to the construction of a theoretical concept created by M. Todorova, ”balkanism”. This is achieved through extensive analysis of her work, focusing on how West creates her own stereotype of Yugoslavia and how her portrayal of people and the Yugoslavian society relate to her discussions of the region’s history. With the help of two categories, ethnography and historiography, I will be able to look how West uses the history of Yugoslavia in the construction of” the other” and” otherness”. The main theory used in this paper is Maria Todorova who came up with the concept of” balkanism”. This combination makes the analysis in question unique. With the help of Todorova, it will be possible to understand why West wrote her book in the way that she did while at the same time trying to find out how West contributed to the construction of the theoretic concept of” balkanism.” In conclusion it can be said that West’s way of writing about Yugoslavia is often characterized by certain words and patterns that will be discussed further in the analysis.