Reflection on the crisis of representation after the Bosnian War

摘要

This thesis examines the notion of "representation" as it has developed in the domain of post-colonialism and Cultural Studies over the last decade or two. Using the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina as an example, the author probes both the pseudo-colonial representations of the country in the western media and narratives and the academic criticism of these practices. With regards to the latter, the author maintains that critique of "representation" must be "depoliticized" and fully restored to the domain of "culture." The politicized variant of the postmodern or postcolonial, where "representation" ultimately gets to be debunked as a sinister and injurious undertaking is criticized as overly simplicistic. This central argument is examined through three different angles, termed as positioning, imagining and experiencing, all aiming to demonstrate that "identity" (as that thing which is supposedly injured by "representation") belongs to the intimate, not political, sphere of existence, which in turn questions the validity of politicized criticism of representation.