Abstract
This essay discusses the prevalence and nature of Balkanist discourse in Norwegian newspapers between 1980 and 1995. Through a qualitative analysis of articles published in Aftenposten and Dagbladet, it tracks the development of stereotypical and derogatory narratives of Yugoslavia in the Norwegian press. This qualitative analysis is supported by a quantitative perspective on the post-1989 increase in Balkanist rhetoric. The thesis argues that Balkanist stereotypes established rigidly negative mental images of the Yugoslav peoples and the conflict between them in the Norwegian press. It sees the rise of Balkanist discourse as a consequence of two crucial factors – the lack of knowledge of Yugoslav society among Norwegian journalists in the 1990s, and of the general need for establishing who did, and who did not, belong on the Western European ‘mental map’ following the end of the Cold War.