ETNIČKA DISTANCA, KSENOFOBIJA I ETNONACIONALISTIČKA MANIPULACIJA
Ethnic Distance, Xenophobia and Ethno-Nationalist Manipulation

Summary/Abstract: This article is considering the ethnic (social) distance as basis o f the ethnonationalistic manipulation in the former European communist countries. This is crucial for understanding why in majority o f ethnically mixed states although since 1989 approaching the transformation process, old communist oligarchies remained in power using biased nationalism as the new legitimacy. Former Yugoslavia is the best example how successful this kind o f political manipulation might be. At least, one third o f population is constituted by the ethnic minorities. Comparing our findings about high intensity o f ethnic distance in FRY in 1997 toward the ethnic Albanians, Muslims, Croats and o f lower degree toward ethnic Hungarians with previous studies about the same subject, we concluded that our hypothesis about production o f ethnic distance in congruence with the policy o f ethno-nationalistic manipulation was proved. Namely, in 1970s ’ it was very low and in 1980s ’ it grew rapidly with the emergence o f the nationalistic legitimacy o f the old-new political class. Same was proven for xenophobia as well: the population o f the FRY considers particular nations as enemies (Americans, Germans) or as friends (Greeks, Russians, Chinese) in accordance with the official propaganda and the degree o f xenophobia is also highly determined by the level of the international isolation o f the FRY.

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