Building the Narod : Yugoslav Historiography and Representations of the “People” in the Middle Ages

Abstract

In the late nineteenth century, national historiographies helped shape collective identities by promoting narratives of cultural continuity rooted in the medieval past. Following World War I and the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, these narratives gained new importance as the state sought to foster a unified Yugoslav identity while accommodating diverse traditions. During the interwar period, policies emphasized “national unity” (narodno jedinstvo), with historiography portraying the “people” (narod) as central actors in a shared past. Medieval history was reframed to stress unity, resilience, and common struggles. After World War II, this master narrative was adapted to fit Marxist ideology and the principle of “brotherhood and unity” (bratstvo i jedinstvo) while retaining the “people” as a key collective subject. This study examines how interwar and socialist Yugoslav historians employed narrative strategies to construct this subject, highlighting the relationship between historiography and ideology in shaping the Yugoslav past.