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Article published In:
Journal of Language and Politics
Vol. 6:3 (2007) ► pp.327–349

What statements do not state

Sine ira et studio * To my Serb friends in Kosovo whose feelings I appreciate and on whose understanding I rely.

| Center for Political and Social Research, Kosovo

Building on the ideas of Michel Foucault and Jacque Derrida, the paper examines a statement issued by the Serb Orthodox Church in Kosovo as an example of particular political discourse. The paper draws on the concept of problematization to reveal explicit and implicit aspects of this discourse. Combining the analytical framework used for Critical Discourse Analysis with that designed for analysis of conflict situations, the paper contends that the analyzed discourse contains explicit as well as implicit topics, sometimes complementary and sometimes mutually contradictory. The paper analyzes the practical consequences of the statement’s implicit problematization, arguing that this problematization leads to further confrontation and leaves no option for the Serb community in Kosovo. An analysis of the emotional aspect of the implicit problematization, which the text contains, shows that it represents a discourse of fear and rejection, not that of understanding and reconciliation. In conclusion, the paper introduces some “what if’s” pointing out several topics in the statement’s discourse which can and should be questioned and revised to open up prospects for survival of the Serb community in Kosovo.

Keywords: Kosovo, discourse, deconstruction, problematization, conflict, explicit and implicit aspects, Serbs, Albanians, United Nations Mission
Published online: 15 January 2008
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.6.3.04poz
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