diff --git a/django_elasticsearch/managers.py b/django_elasticsearch/managers.py
index edf2718..d8b1105 100644
--- a/django_elasticsearch/managers.py
+++ b/django_elasticsearch/managers.py
@@ -87,12 +87,22 @@ def check_cluster(self):
 
     def get_serializer(self, **kwargs):
         serializer = self.model.Elasticsearch.serializer_class
-        if isinstance(serializer, basestring):
-            module, kls = self.model.Elasticsearch.serializer_class.rsplit(".", 1)
-            mod = importlib.import_module(module)
-            return getattr(mod, kls)(self.model, **kwargs)
-        else:
-            return serializer(self.model, **kwargs)
+
+        # python 2.x
+        try:
+            if isinstance(serializer, basestring):
+                module, kls = self.model.Elasticsearch.serializer_class.rsplit(".", 1)
+                mod = importlib.import_module(module)
+                return getattr(mod, kls)(self.model, **kwargs)
+
+        # python 3.x
+        except NameError:
+            if isinstance(serializer, str):
+                module, kls = self.model.Elasticsearch.serializer_class.rsplit(".", 1)
+                mod = importlib.import_module(module)
+                return getattr(mod, kls)(self.model, **kwargs)
+
+        return serializer(self.model, **kwargs)
 
     @needs_instance
     def serialize(self):
diff --git a/django_elasticsearch/serializers.py b/django_elasticsearch/serializers.py
index 474e64e..2a8d04f 100644
--- a/django_elasticsearch/serializers.py
+++ b/django_elasticsearch/serializers.py
@@ -4,6 +4,13 @@
 from django.db.models import FieldDoesNotExist
 from django.db.models.fields.related import ManyToManyField
 
+try:
+    # python 2.x
+    UNICODE_PY2X = bool(type(unicode))
+except NameError:
+    # python 3.x
+    unicode = lambda s: str(s)
+
 
 class EsSerializer(object):
     def serialize(self, instance):