The Aromanians in Serbia – Between Cultural Identity, Humor, and Balkan Ethnological Models
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52603/rec.2025.38.01Keywords:
Aromanians, cultural identity, ethnology, humor, popular literature, urban folkloreAbstract
This study examines the ethnological and culturological dimensions of the contemporary cultural identity of the Aromanians in Serbia, with particular attention to humor as a form of collective self-representation within the Balkan cultural context. The study is based on the analysis of various texts – from oral anecdotes and theatrical plays to humorous newspaper columns – featuring emblematic characters such as kir Janja, kir Dima, and kir Sima. The aim of the analysis is to identify ethnological patterns, such as thriftiness, resourcefulness, gallantry, and social irony, which function as cultural markers in these narratives. The study argues that Aromanians employ ethnicallycoded humor not only for entertainment, but also as a tool for intergenerational transmission of values and negotiation of their position within a multicultural Balkan environment. This approach also highlights the need to include intangible cultural practices in contemporary ethnological and cultural studies, especially within minority communities that use humor as a means of dialogue with the dominant culture, and as a form of cultural resistance, reinterpretation, and affirmation of historical memory.
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