The Language of Walls Along the Balkan Route

ABSTRACT

Are border walls and fences becoming an increasingly accepted and legitimate way of coping with the challenges of the refugee crisis and mass migration in Europe? The article addresses this question by examining how Serbian and Croatian public intellectuals reacted to the dramatic impact of Hungary's decision to fortify its southern border in September 2015. The analysis of salient argumentative strategies reveals how their criticism of wall building was embedded in specific discourses of values, historical narratives, and the topos of “Fortress Europe.”

KEYWORDS:

• Refugee crisis
• language of walls
• public intellectuals
• argumentation
• border politics
• Balkan route

Notes

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18. The literal translation of the original metaphor would be between the anvil and the hammer.

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