Course Co-Directors: Aleksandar Pavlović (IFDT Belgrade) and Marija Mandić (University of Belgrade)
The southeastern peninsula of the European continent, more commonly known by the loaded term “the Balkans,” is a region of astonishing ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity, where some of history’s greatest empires and political blocs have bordered each other. From its origins as imperial borderlands to the formation of nation-states in the 19th century, the turbulent history of the Balkans has always attracted significant attention. Its status as a European “powder keg” was seemingly confirmed both by the two Balkan Wars and the Sarajevo assassination at the beginning of the 20th century, and by the atrocious decade of the Yugoslav Wars at its end.
Exoticized and dreaded, the Balkans still remain poorly understood. While the Invisible University for Ukraine has previously dealt extensively with aspects of Balkan history, culture, and contemporary issues relevant to Ukraine (such as war, transitional justice, and European integration), past participants expressed a clear wish for an introductory course of Balkan Studies. This course attempts to fill that gap. It will provide a foundational introduction to Balkan political and cultural history, while also creating a space for dialogue about the region’s specificities and comparisons with other parts of Europe.