Serbianisation or Serbification (Serbification^[1], Serbisation or Serbization) (Serbian: србизација, посрбљавање, srbizacija, posrbljavanje, Bulgarian: сърбизация, посръбчване) is a term used to its belief that all South Slavs, comprising Slovenes, Croats, Bosnians, Montenegrins and Macedonians, should consider themselves, in their essential being, as Serbs.^[2] Albanians too, were forced to the process of Serbification campaigns after World War I,^[3] as well as the Romanian Vlachs since the 19th century.^[4]

This conception reflects the impact of the French revolutionary-rationalist state on Europe and the widespread nineteenth century belief that large nation-states based on one "people" could be forged out of varying local identities^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Serbianisation in Macedonia

Territorial expansion of the Kingdom of Serbia after the 1913.

During the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the government of the Kingdom pursued a linguistic Serbisation policy towards the Macedonians in Macedonia^[5] , then called "Southern Serbia" (unofficially) or "Vardar Banovina" (officially). The dialects spoken in this region were referred to as dialects of Serbo-Croatian.^[6] Either way, those southern dialects were suppressed with regards education, military and other national activities, and their usage was punishable^[7]. The Serbianisation of the Bulgarian language and population in Republic of Macedonia increased after WWII. Persons declaring their Bulgarian identity were imprisoned or went into exile, and in this way Vardar Macedonia was effectively de-Bulgarised.^[8]

[edit] De-serbisation

Islamisation and Turkification occurred under Ottoman rule, starting from the 15th century to the 19th century, meaning that some Christian Serbs were persecuted and forcefully converted to Islam, thus also becoming Turks in the process of changing names and culture. Turks often chose Christian wives, either buying them from their parents or took them by force. ^[9][10].

De-serbisation occurred in Montenegro when Josip Broz Tito came to power in Yugoslavia.^{[citation needed]} Prior to the 18th century the name Montenegrin was used as a regional/national affiliation.

[edit] Re-serbisation in Montenegro

In the 1921-census results, Serbs composed 92.96%, numbering 231,686 in Montenegro. From 1948 to 1991, the percentage of Serbs never exceeded 10% (ranging from 3-10% every 10 years) as a result of the Montenegrin national awakening. In 2003, Serbs composed 31.99%, numbering 198,414, as to the percentage in 1948 was 1.78%, a third of previously declared Montenegrins now re-declared as Serbs.

[edit] Notable individuals who voluntarily became Serbs

• General Pavle Jurišić Šturm (born Paulus Sturm), World War I hero, of Sorbian origins
• Branislav Nušić, (born Alchiviadi al Nusha) writer, of Aromanian origins ž
• Josif Pančić, botanist and first president of SANU, of Bunjevac origins
• Frenki Simatović, infamous war criminal, Croat^{[citation needed]}
• Nikola Pašić, politician from Bulgarian origin.^[11]

[edit] See also

• Treaty of Trianon
• Magyarization
• Romanianization
• Slovakization
• Bulgarisation
• Croatisation
• Albanisation

[edit] Notes