Slika srpske kulture u svetu kroz brendiranje srpske Šljivovice – kritička analiza diskursa

Abstract

The paper analyses a worldwide image of Serbian culture through the brending of Serbian traditional drink called slivovica (eng. “Plum Brandy”), from the perspective of Critical discourse analysis (CDA). The theoretical foundation that is used as a research tool is introduced by Fairclough’s concept of the interrelated three-dimensions of discourse, structured in three levels: the first being the “text”, followed by “discursive practices” and thirdly by “social practices”. The first dimension represents objects, including all semiotic indicators (such as images), not only linguistic units. The second dimension represents processes by which the object is produced and received by human subjects. The third dimension of discourse represents power behind discourse and it contains the social, historical, economic and political conditions that govern process of production or reception. So, this analyses is conducted on three levels: descriptive, interpretative and explanatory. Descriptive level has revealed three major topics: traditions and customs/rituals connected to šljivovica, consumption of šljivovica and technical data, all followed by visual material. Interpretative level has showed that discourse of šljivovica brings a new order of discourse (Serbian tradition, slava, rituals, tourism, traditional/folk medicine etc.) and gives to the recipient of texts a set of information that may or may not be important to him: why one should try it, where to go, what one can find out about each one, whom to contact to etc. The third dimension has briefly pointed to the relation between interaction and social context, in fact showing us how society determines discourse. Namely, in the age of globalization of consumerism, there is a fierce struggle between the big and small, rich and poor, influential and noninfluential, the West and the “others”, in attempts to promote the culture of a community that can offer its traditional products to the whole world as opposed to the global unified products.