Prepoznati omiljenog neprijatelja
Recognizing a Favourite Enemy

Conservative populism and unions in COVID–19 pandemics in Serbia

Author(s): Bojan Vranić, Milica Kulić
Subject(s): Media studies, Sociology, Labor relations, Health and medicine and law
Published by: Durieux
Keywords: populism; unions; COVID–19; media; Althusser;
Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to explain the model of media framing of trade unions as the enemy of the people in conservative populism’s discourse. For this purpose, we take the case study of the conflict between The Government of Serbian and the president of Serbia with the Union of doctors and pharmacists of Serbia, during the COVID–19 pandemics in 2020. The authors assert that conservative populism and unions have potential for collective action mobilization for making pressure on government policies, each on its side of ideological specter respectfully. We infer that conservative populisms uses media and other ideological state apparatuses to recognize trade unions as the enemies of the »people«. The paper relies on structural approach of Louis Althusser and his thesis of ideological state apparatus in particular as a means of interpellation of the subject. The case study of clash of unions and conservative populists in Serbia demonstrates that unions are interpellated as subject-enemies by the use of the media state ideological apparatus, narrowing unions’ potential for collective action.

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