Evoking the past in the Croatian popular music. A case study

This article is based on the thesis that in modern societies history ceases to be the domain of professional historians. Owing to the decline of the position of sciences, and generally of social authorities, different ways of constructing the image of the past may appear. One of the most important factors in this process are mass media and especially the popular music. The article considers the case of Marko Perkovic Thompson, a famous Croatian singer, as an exemple. Thompson in his lyrics uses some elements of the Croatian history that could be treated as a base for the reconstructed national identity. All of them can be seen as symbols of the Croatian independence. By relating them to the ustasha movement and NDH (Croatian Independent State, 1941-1945), and opposing to the communist period, he proceedes to the reinterpretation of Croatian fascist movement. The article reveals some of the procedures which make the popular music so influential in modern society, among them the indentification of the listeners with the singer or evoking the national pride. As a conclusion, the examination of relation between the reinterpreted history and politics is proposed.