In this diploma paper I was concerned with the presentation of key concepts of post-colonial discourse which are the basis for the analysis of the image of the Other in the literary works of the Croatian writer Dubravka Ugrešić. The aim of this diploma paper is to allow an insight into the complexity of postmodern theories in the construction of identities, mostly those which found themselves in an unstable and fluid discursive space and time of the post-colonial world. The image of the Other is discussed from various points of view: firstly, the position of the woman in nationalistic and patriarchal ideological social constructions; secondly, the position of the Balkan man in European culture; thirdly, the position of the female writer in literary world led by men. The diploma paper first deals with the concepts of post-colonialism, postmodernism and post-structuralism with the intention of the establishment of a basic theoretical concept in which the analysis of literary works is taking place. This is followed by the presentation of orientalism and balkanism which, as formations of binary oppositions in the scheme West "the Balkans" East allow the incorporation of literary works into the integral paradigm. The multi-layer relationship between East (Orient) and West (Occident) towards the Balkans is evident in the special status of the subject found in the discussed literary works, which, because of the oscillation in the unstable and undefined post-colonial environment, is experiencing a crisis due to non-belonging, exclusion and questioning its own existence. This treatment of the position of the post-colonial Other, looking for answers to questions about the limited nature of the subject in the modern processes of migration and exile in non-authenticity, identification through language and stereotypical and traditionalistic social presumptions, is the core of the analysis. Because the position of the Other in a post-colonial context is linked to nationalism, gender and social status, the research is directed towards the field of national discourse and post-colonial feminism. In this framework the woman is treated as the Other "an intellectual" a writer with a special status. The entire complex of the mentioned theoretical concepts is discussed within the boundaries of postmodern literary discourse as this is an analysis of contemporary literary works written from the nineties of the twentieth century until today. We have discussed the following essay collections by Dubravka Ugrešić: The Culture of Lies, Thank you for not reading, Nobody's home, Attack on the Minibar and Europe in Sepia. The diploma paper, with a thorough theoretical basis and through analysis of the mentioned works, is trying to contribute to the expansion of the contentual and structural horizons of post-colonial theoretical presumptions and to point out possibilities, solutions and new questions in the fields of sociology and literature which deal with such questions.
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