Law, Politics, and the Governance of Interpretation in Present-Day Croatia

Public institutions routinely affirm democratic values and respect for historical memory. Yet when public events and actions provoke controversy, institutional responses are often reduced to legal technicalities, procedural constraints, and claims of „neutrality. “ In situations where history, identity, and political symbolism collide, institutions govern not only outcomes, but interpretation – especially when popular culture becomes a key arena for negotiating nationalism, historical narratives, and political belonging, as illustrated by recent controversies surrounding Marko Perković Thompson and his concerts in Croatia. 

By focusing on recent debates on the regulation and prevention of hate speech and fascist symbols, the roundtable explores how legal frameworks shape public meaning, how appeals to institutional neutrality and procedural constraint redefine responsibility for historical interpretation, and how competing nationalist narratives are negotiated through popular culture in contemporary Croatia.

Speakers

• Ivana Prica Matijaš, Rijeka City Council, Croatia

• Kristina Vugdelija, Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia

• Matija Miloš, Department of Constitutional Law, Faculty of Law, University of Rijeka, Croatia

• Katarina Damčević, Department of Politics, IOS Regensburg, Germany

Moderator

• Ulf Brunnbauer, IOS Regensburg, Germany