The Serbian Proverb Poturica gori od Turčina (A Turk-convert is Worse Than a Turk): Stigmatizer and Figure of Speech

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.