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Accepted Paper:

Turbo folk: a phenomenon of Macedonia's youths  
Meri Marija Todorovska

Paper short abstract:

The research is focused on the genre’s influence over the lives of Macedonia’s youths, born during or after the disintegration of Yugoslavia.

Paper long abstract:

A phenomenon called Turbo Folk originates and it is characteristic for Serbia, Its expansion to the other Balkan countries begins in the early nineties, while becoming popular and accepted by the masses. Aside from being associated with nationalism, this genre becomes a type of entertainment that is widely accepted during the fratricidal war that takes place in Ex Yugoslavia. In Macedonia, a country that is known for its traditional folklore, the genre called Turbo Folk gets accepted some time later. However Macedonia, being one of the developing republics from Ex Yugoslavia, is behind in all aspects and if Turbo Folk is a way to express nationalism, then it is no wonder that it arrives some time later in Macedonia alongside the belated nationalism of the Macedonians. At first it is a type of music played in peripheral barrooms, however nowadays it is played in clubs located in the centre of Macedonia's capital, Skopje.

It is truly interesting that more and more young people, who have been born during or after Yugoslavia's disintegration and who have absolutely no correlation with that country, listen to this genre and more importantly become its fans, even though the songs' lyrics are written in a language that is no longer close to this part of the population. For them, Turbo Folk is not only a genre of music but a lifestyle as well. Therefore, young girls identify themselves with Turbo Folk singers by imitating their appearance and style.

Panel SPS002
Idealism, Utopia and (post)Yugoslav popular music
  Session 1