The New Partisans (Serbo-Croatian: Novi Partizani / Нови Партизани) were a short-lived music and visual movement on the Yugoslav rock scene during the mid-1980s. Centered in Sarajevo, the movement was led by the established band Bijelo Dugme and younger acts Plavi Orkestar and Merlin.

The aesthetic is defined by a blend of mainstream pop rock with Balkan folk music, but its most distinctive feature was its heavy use of lyrics and imagery inspired by the Yugoslav Partisans of World War II and the state ideology of "Brotherhood and Unity." At a time of rising ethnic nationalism in post-Tito Yugoslavia, the New Partisans movement was a deliberately pro-Yugoslav, anti-nationalist cultural statement.

The New Partisans movement emerged in the mid-1980s as a response to the growing political and ethnic tensions that threatened to fracture Yugoslavia. The bands sought to counteract the rise of nationalism by promoting a form of "original Yugoslavism." They did this by re-appropriating the heroic and romanticized imagery of the Partisan struggle, which was a foundational myth of the socialist Yugoslav state and a powerful symbol of multi-ethnic unity.

The movement was not an expression of support for the ruling communist party, but rather a nostalgic and often critical appeal to the founding ideals of the country. It was an attempt to use the shared cultural memory of the anti-fascist struggle to advocate for peace and unity in the face of imminent conflict.

The New Partisans aesthetic was most clearly expressed through its highly symbolic album art and the on-stage fashion of the bands. The movement was known for its deliberate recontextualization of historical and political imagery.

On stage, the bands adopted a look that directly referenced Partisan history. This included stylized army uniforms, military boots, and traditional wool socks known as partizanke (Partisan socks). Live performances often incorporated socialist imagery, with concerts opening to the sound of "The Internationale" or band members shouting the state motto, "Brotherhood! Unity!" ( Bratstvo! Jedinstvo! ).

The music of the New Partisans movement was a blend of mainstream pop rock and power pop with prominent elements of traditional Balkan folk music. The sound was melodic and accessible, but it was set apart by its lyrical content and the incorporation of historical musical themes. Bands often adapted melodies from old Yugoslav revolutionary anthems and Partisan songs, most notably Bijelo Dugme's cover of "Padaj silo i nepravdo" ("Fall, Oh Force and Injustice"). The lyrics were central to the movement, focusing on themes of Yugoslavism, the state motto of "Brotherhood and Unity," pacifism, and a romanticized nostalgia for the anti-fascist struggle of World War II.

The New Partisans movement was heavily criticized by the Yugoslav music press and the more alternative-oriented public. There were two main lines of critique:

Faced with this negative reception and the rapidly worsening political situation in Yugoslavia, the movement quickly faded. By 1988, its key bands had moved on to other themes, and the "Partisan offensive" on the rock scene was over.