Nationalism and Europeanization in LGBT Rights and Politics: A Comparative Study of Croatia and Serbia

LGBT rights have come to be seen as allied with the idea of “Europe” and a European identity, particularly in the process of European Union enlargement to the East. Scholars have examined the ways in which external norms interact with more local, often “traditional” norms and identities. In this process, nationalism and conceptions of national identity and gender/sexuality norms can be seen as important factors that influence the domestic adoption of LGBT rights, particularly in the postwar Balkans. Croatia and Serbia (from approximately 2000 to 2014) present two interesting and different cases to analyze how discourses and dynamics of national and state identity construction, nationalism, and LGBT rights relate to discourses of “Europeanness” and European identity and how these affect the political dynamics of LGBT rights. This article finds that in Croatia, national identity was constructed in terms of convergence with European norms and identity, homonationalism was used to distinguish themselves from a “Balkan” identity, and there was a lower threat perception of the LGBT community framed primarily as a “threat to the family.” In Serbia, state and national identity was constructed in opposition to Europe and homosexuality had stronger threat perception, framed primarily as “threat to the nation.” In short, nationalism and national identity were less disadvantageous as a domestic constraint to LGBT rights in Croatia than in Serbia. The dynamics between nationalism and LGBT rights played out, for example, in the politics of the marriage referendum, Pride Parades, and public discourse more generally. This research contributes to the scholarship on LGBT rights and nationalism by empirically analyzing the different ways that nationalism, gender/sexuality, and European identity interrelate and influence LGBT rights change in a changing post-war identity landscape and how domestic constraints affect human rights norm diffusion.

这个研究关注克罗地亚和塞尔维亚在 2000年至2014年 之间的 LGBT权利 和 欧洲认同 之间的关系。通过分析这两个国家的民族主义、国家认同以及LGBT权利的政治动态，研究探讨了民族主义和国家认同如何影响LGBT权利的采纳，特别是在后战争的巴尔干地区。

该研究采用了比较研究方法，特别是通过对克罗地亚和塞尔维亚的民族主义、LGBT权利和欧洲化进程中的政治话语和社会动态的比较研究。研究基于对两国政治精英、公共话语和LGBT活动家声音的分析，探索了民族主义如何与欧洲认同和LGBT权利的讨论相互交织。通过分析两国的政治事件、政策变化、公众意见和LGBT游行等实践，研究揭示了民族主义如何影响LGBT权利的采纳和变化。特别是，研究注重分析两国在2000年至2014年间的民族主义和LGBT权利话语的不同发展路径。

本研究发现，克罗地亚和塞尔维亚的LGBT权利变革与民族主义和欧洲化的关系密切相关。克罗地亚的民族认同与欧洲化趋同，欧洲认同成为战后克罗地亚身份的一部分，而塞尔维亚则表现为与欧洲化的分歧，反欧洲立场成为塞尔维亚国家认同的关键标志。克罗地亚强调其非巴尔干、非塞尔维亚和欧洲的元素，同时支持与部分LGBT权利冲突的天主教身份；而塞尔维亚则强调独特的塞尔维亚族裔和东正教身份，并拒绝外部影响。克罗地亚的“同性民族主义”表现在对同性恋的威胁认知较低，主要视为“对家庭的威胁”，而塞尔维亚则更倾向于将同性恋视为“对民族的威胁”。研究还表明，塞尔维亚的民族主义通过1990年代战争后的对欧洲的争议，尤其是在与哈格法庭和北约的合作中，进一步强化了反欧洲情绪。文章探讨了民族主义、性别/性取向和欧洲认同如何相互作用并影响LGBT权利变化，并提出在战略上，LGBT活动家如何在国家认同和人权议题之间找到平衡，尤其是在克罗地亚和塞尔维亚等背景下。