@inbook{
author = "Mandić, Marija",
year = "2020",
abstract = "Th is chapter focuses on the proverb Poturica gori od Turčina (A Turk-convert is
worse than a Turk), which for purposes of brevity I refer to simply as ‘A Turkconvert
is worse . . .’. Despite feeling archaic, it is commonly used and negatively
connoted in the Serbian conversational discourse. Since the Ottoman conquest of
the Balkans, the ethnonym Turčin (Turk) has not been reserved only for people of
Turkish ethnicity – primarily viewed as representatives of the Ottoman enslavers
of Serbia from the fi fteenth to the nineteenth century – but it also functioned as
a confessionym for all Ottoman Muslims. Moreover, a particular label, poturica,
was coined for Christian converts to Islam, and literally means ‘Turk-convert’
(or Turkifi ed). Th e term had either a neutral or a slightly pejorative meaning,
depending on the context; but as the empire was declining, and especially after
its dissolution, it progressively acquired a derogatory meaning and an emotive charge. Th is contribution thus attempts to show how the linguistic means under
discussion have come, via stigmatization, a long way from sociopolitical categorization
to fi gurative speech. It is argued that stigmatization is part of the broader
strategic erasure of the Ottoman heritage in the Serbian public discourse. Firstly,
the theoretical framework to be applied in the chapter is presented. Th en, the
Balkan Christians’ views on the Ottoman heritage and the Slavic Muslims are
discussed. Th e chapter refl ects on the stigmatization of the Slavic Muslims in
some of the most representative works of the modern Serbian canon. Finally, usage
of the proverb ‘A Turk-convert is worse . . .’ in contemporary conversational
discourse is analysed.",
publisher = "New York : Berghahn Books",
journal = "Imagining Bosnian Muslims in Central Europe: Representations, Transfers and Exchanges",
booktitle = "The Serbian Proverb Poturica gori od Turčina (A Turk-convert is Worse Than a Turk): Stigmatizer and Figure of Speech",
pages = "170-193",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_dais_10822"
}