Tripartite Model of National Identity Negotiation: The Case of Croatia Entering the Eurozone

ABSTRACT Theoretically grounded in the modern approaches to nationalism, the article introduces a novel, tripartite model of national identity research based on three levels of its participating actors. These levels reflect narratives of the elites and institutions, the media and the people. The article further presents results of testing this model by applying it to the case of Croatia entering the eurozone using the advanced cognitive mapping as a qualitative method of content analysis. Research findings allow preliminary conclusions about the prevalence of europeanisation, nationalism or cosmopolitanism as types of discourses and dominance of the civic, ethnic or cultural national identity dimensions, relevant for this particular political context. The article concludes by outlining the limitations of this experimental model but also potential for future research.