COURSE SYLLABUS

INTERPRETING CONTEMPORARY IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

Instructors: Florian Bieber; Rory Archer; Dario Brentin

Nationalism Studies Central European University Spring 2019 MA # Credits (# ECTS Credits) Course e-learning site: Office hours: by appointment

Course Description This course will explore different aspects of nationalism in Southeastern Europe. Focusing on former Yugoslavia, the course will also include case studies and discussions on other countries of the . Following a historical introduction, the class will mostly consider different aspects of nationalism in the social and political development of the past 30 years, ranging from causes of the wars in former Yugoslavia to the role of religion, gender, popular culture, political economy, Europeanisation and democratisation. As a 2-credit course, it is designed to first discuss each aspect on a theoretical and general level, followed by specific cases studies drawn from the region. The purpose of the course is to advance the student’s knowledge of Southeastern Europe and to apply different aspects of nationalism studies to this region. The focus on Southeastern Europe is not to suggest that the reason constitute a particularity or even exception in understanding nationalism. Phenomena discussed in class will be applicable to other countries and regions around the world.

Learning Outcomes By the end of this course, students will be able to:

● Engage critically with different theories of nationalism and ethnic conflict; ● Understand the dissolution process of Yugoslavia; ● Be familiar with nationalism in Southeastern Europe, in particular in former Yugoslavia; ● Engage with different disciplinary approaches to the study of nationalism

Course Requirements Students are expected to be present and participate in the classes. Required readings will be assigned for each class.

Every student has to introduce one book to class. At least one book is available for review for each session. Students are expected to present the book in a short presentation (approx. 15 min.) and a handout, detailing the main argument and offering a critical analysis (including: main hypothesis, key arguments, structure of the argument, notable information, what might surprise the reader, specific comments and finally a critical examination of the arguments and questions for discussion).

The main requirement is a seminar paper (4,000-6,000 words, ca. 15-20 pages, double-spaced with footnotes). The paper can focus on any aspect covered in the course. The paper can either focus on more theoretical aspects and develop them further, or apply the theories to a particular case (or several). Students are encouraged to examine a case other than the country of origin. Before starting to write the paper, the topic has to be agreed upon with the course instructors.

Grading will be based on participation in class (10 %), the hand-out and presentation of the book (30 %), as well as the final paper (60 %).

COURSE SCHEDULE

1. Introduction. Historical Background (Florian Bieber, Rory Archer, Dario Brentin) Besides an overview over the topics to be discussed during the course, the class will briefly examine some of the main trends in the development of nationalism in Southeastern Europe from the 19th century to the end of World War Two. The two key aspects are the revolutionary aspect of the nationalist movements towards the multinational empires of the region, as well as the nature of the newly emerging nation states in the region.

Mandatory Readings ● Mark Mazower, The Balkans. A Short (New York: Modern Library, 2002), pp. 113-143. ● Ivo Banac, The National Question in Yugoslavia. Origins, History, (Cornell University Press: Ithaca/London 1994), 406-416.

Suggested Readings ● John Lampe, Yugoslavia as History. Twice there was a Country (Cambridge: CUP, 2001). ● Jelavich, Charles & Barbara Jelavich, The Establishment of the Balkan National States, 1804-1920 (Seattle/London: University of Washington Press, 1993). ● Barbara Jelavich, History of the Balkans. Vol. 2, Twentieth Century (Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 1983), pp. 106-246. ● Stevan Pavlowitch, A History of the Balkans. 1804-1945 (New York/London: Longman, 1999), pp. 162-330.

Books for Review ● Ivo Banac, The National Question in Yugoslavia. Origins, History, Politics (Ithaca/London: Cornell University Press, 1994). ● Edin Hajdarspahic, Whose Bosnia? Nationalism and Political Imagination in the Balkans, 1840-1914 (Ithaca/London: Cornell University Press, 2015).

2. Nationalism in the Communism Era (Florian Bieber) The class will examine the role of nationalism under communist rule. The focus of the class will be both the theoretical stance of Communism towards nationalism and the reality in a number of cases. In a number of cases, nationalism served as a supplementary legitimizing tool for communists regimes in their attempt to bolster declining support. Particular examples under discussion include Romanian nationalism in the Ceauşecu era, as well as the period of national revival in Bulgaria.

Mandatory Readings ● John D. Bell, “The ‘Revival Process’: The Turkish and Pomak Minorities in Bulgarian Politics,” Thanasis D. Sfikas and Christopher Williams (eds.) Ethnicity and Nationalism in East Central Europe and the Balkans (Aldershot: Ashgate, 1999), 237-268. ● Katherine Verdery, Why National Ideology under Socialism? Gerasimos Augustinos (ed.), The National Idea in Eastern Europe (Lexington & Toronto: D.C. Heath, 1996), 109-117.

Suggested Readings ● Tom Gallagher, Outcast Europe: The Balkans, 1789-1989 (London: Routledge, 2001), 227-277. ● Walker Connor, The National Question in Marxist-Leninist Theory and Strategy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984). ● Isa Blumi, “The Politics of Culture and Power: The Roots of Hoxha's Postwar State,” East European Quarterly (Fall, 1997): 409-428. ● Milena Mahon, “The Turkish Minority under Communist Bulgaria-Politics of Ethnicity and Power,” Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans vol 1, no. 2 (November 1999), 149-162.

Books for Review ● Katherine Verdery, National Ideology under Socialism (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991). ● Sabrina Ramet, Nationalism and Federalism in Yugoslavia, 1962-1991 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992).

3. Myths and Symbols (Dario Brentin) The importance of myths and symbols has been well documents in national movements. The class shall study the reevaluation of national and the creation of myths and symbols in the Post-Communist period. The key examples here are the use of the legacy of World War 2 in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia.

Mandatory Readings ● Anna Di Lellio, Stephanie Schwander-Sievers, “The Legendary Commander: The Construction of an Albanian Master-Narrative in post-War Kosovo,” Nations and Nationalism, 12:3 (2006), pp. 513-529. ● Florian Bieber, “Nationalist Mobilization and Stories of Serb Suffering,” Rethinking History 6:1 (2002), pp. 95-110. ● Anastas Vangeli, “Nation-building ancient Macedonian style: the origins and the effects of the so-called antiquization in Macedonia,” Nationalities Papers: The Journal of Nationalism and Ethnicity, 39:1 (2011), pp. 13-32.

Suggested Readings ● Maria Todorova (ed.), Balkan Identities. Nations and Memory (New York: NYU Press, 2004). ● Kolsto, Pal (ed.), Myths and Boundaries in South-east Europe (London: Hurst, 2005)

Books for Review ● Bruce MacDonald, Balkan holocausts? Serbian and Croatian Propaganda and the War in Yugoslavia (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003). ● Julie Mertus, Kosovo How Myths and Truths Started a War (Berkeley and LA: University of California Press, 1999)

4. Nationalism from above (Dario Brentin) As a flexible ideology, nationalism has numerous ways of expressing itself. Scholars have advanced different interpretations to the origins of nationalist movements. Some have argued that these movements were largely shaped by cultural, academic and political elites, while others have sought to emphasis the existence of strong nationalist sentiments among the population prior to mobilization from elites. This class will focus on “from above” perspectives.

Mandatory Readings ● Nina Casperson, “Intragroup Divisions in Ethnic Conflicts: From Popular Grievances to Power Struggles,” Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, Vol. 14, No. 2 (2008), pp. 239- 265. ● Ana Dević, “Ethnonationalism, Politics, and the Intellectuals: The Case of Yugoslavia,” International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society, Vol. 11, No. 3 (1998), pp. 375-409. ● V.P. Gagnon, Jr. “Ethnic Conflict and International Conflict. The Case of Serbia,” Michael E. Brown et al. (eds.) Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict (Cambridge Ma./London: MIT Press, 1997), pp. 132-167.

Suggested Readings ● Anthony Oberschall, “The Manipulation of Ethnicity: From Ethnic Cooperation to Violence and War in Yugoslavia,” Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol. 23, No. 6 (November 2000), pp. 982–1001. ● Catherine Baker, The Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s (London: Palgrave, 2015), pp. 24- 40.

Books for Review ● Jasna Dragovic-Soso, Saviours of the Nation. Serbia’s Intellectual Opposition and the Revival of Nationalism (London: Hurst, 2002). ● Chip Gagnon, The myth of ethnic war: Serbia and Croatia in the 1990s (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2004)

5. Nationalism from below (Rory Archer) This class continues discussions from the previous class regarding expressions of nationalism shifting the focusing to manifesting “from below”. In particular, it addresses nationalist mobilisation in Yugoslavia in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Mandatory Readings ● Goran Musić, “‘They Came as Workers and Left as ’: The Role of Rakovica’s Blue Collar Workers in Serbian Social Mobilizations of the Late 1980s” in Rory Archer, Igor Duda and Paul Stubbs (eds.) Social inequalities and discontent in Yugoslav Socialism. (Abingdon: Routledge, 2016), pp. 132-154. ● Borovo Group (Sven Cvek, Snježana Ivčić, Jasna Račić) “Labour, Class, Nation: Workers’ Strikes in Croatia in the Year 1990” in Vida Knežević, Marko Miletić (eds.) We Have Built Cities for You: On the Contradictions of Yugoslav Socialism (Center ZKD: Belgrade, 2018), pp. 81-95. ● Xavier Bougarel, “Yugoslav Wars: The ‘Revenge of the Countryside’ Between Sociological Reality and Nationalist Myth,” East European Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 2, (Summer 1999), pp. 157-175.

Suggested Readings ● Catherine Baker, The Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s (Palgrave London, 2015), 40-76. ● Dennison Rusinow, “Nationalities Policy and the ‘National Question’” in P. Ramet (ed.) Yugoslavia in the 1980s (Boulder CO: Westview Press, 1985), pp. 131-165. ● Ljubica Spaskovska, The last Yugoslav generation: The rethinking of youth politics and cultures in late socialism (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2017).

Books for Review ● Nebojša Vladisavljević, Serbia's Anti‐ bureaucratic Revolution: Milošević, the Fall of Communism and Nationalist Mobilization (Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2008). ● Azra Hromadžić, Citizens of an empty nation: youth and state‐ making in postwar Bosnia‐ Herzegovina (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015).

6. The Causes of Yugoslavia’s Disintegration & Ethnic War (Rory Archer) The disintegration of Yugoslavia has been explained by a number of different theories. Each of them relates differently to the role of nationalism in the country. Here the different theories and core controversies will be examined. The varying approaches largely follow from the discussions in the previous class on theories of the disintegration of Yugoslavia

Mandatory Readings ● Dejan Jović, “The Disintegration of Yugoslavia: A Critical Review of Explanatory Approaches” European Journal of Social Theory, Vol. 4, No. 1 (2001), pp. 101-120. ● Jasna Dragovic-Soso, Why did Yugoslavia Disintegrate? An Overview of Contending Explanations, Lenard J. Cohen and Jasna Dragovic-Soso, eds., State Collapse in South-Eastern Europe. New Perspectives on Yugoslavia’s Disintegration, West Lafayette, Indiana, 2008, pp. 1-43. ● Susan Woodward, “The Political Economy of Ethno-Nationalism in Yugoslavia”, Socialist Register, Vol. 39 (2003), pp. 73-92.

Suggested Readings ● Valerie Bunce, Subversive Institutions, The Design and the Destruction of Socialism and the State (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999). ● Ivana Maček, under siege: in wartime (Philadelphia: UPenn Press, 2009).

Books for Review ● Dejan Jović, Yugoslavia: A State that Withered Away (West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 2009). ● Susan Woodward, Socialist unemployment : The political economy of Yugoslavia, 1945-1990 (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1995).

7. Gender and Nationalism (Rory Archer) This class will examine the links between gender, nationalism and politics, focusing on issues such as wartime sexual violence, the cult of masculinity of nationalist movements and contemporary LGBT movements.

Mandatory Readings ● Wendy Bracewell, “Rape in Kosovo: Masculinity and Serbian Nationalism,” Nations and Nationalism, Vol. 6, No. 4 (2000), pp. 563-90. ● Jessica Greenberg, “Nationalism, masculinity and multicultural citizenship in Serbia”, Nationalities Papers, 34:3 (2006) pp. 321-341. ● Marek Mikuš “‘State Pride’ Politics of LGBT Rights and Democratisation in ‘European Serbia’”, East European Politics and Societies, Vol. 25, No. 4, (2011) pp.834-851

Suggested Readings ● Pamela Ballinger and Kristen Ghodsee, “Socialist Secularism Religion, Modernity, and Muslim Women’s Emancipation in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, 1945–1991”, Aspasia: The International Yearbook of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern European Women's and Gender History Vol.5, No.1 (2011), pp. 6-27. ● Bojan Bilic “Europeanization, lgbt Activism, and Non-Heteronormativity in the Post- Yugoslav Space: An Introduction”, Southeastern Europe 40 (2016), pp. 1-12.

Book for Review ● Dubravka Žarkov, The Body of War: Media, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Break-up of Yugoslavia (Durham : Duke University Press 2007). ● Elissa Helms, Innocence and Victimhood: Gender, Nation, and Women's Activism in postwar Bosnia-Herzegovina (Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2013).

8. Religion and Nationalism (Rory Archer) This class will look at nationalism from the perspective of church/mosque-nation relations. Topics of discussion will include the core role of religion in defining a number of Balkan national movements and the tensions between the often universalistic orientation of religions and the ethnic/national focus of churches/mosques.

Mandatory Readings ● John Allcock, Explaining Yugoslavia (London: New York: Columbia University Press, 2000), pp. 366-376. ● Anna Krasteva, “ Religion, Politics, and Nationalism in Postcommunist Bulgaria: Elastic (Post)Secularism”, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 21:4 (2015) pp.422-445 ● Ger Duijzings. Religion and the Politics of Identity in Kosovo (London: Hurst & Co., 2000), pp.1-36.

Suggested Readings ● Radmila Radić, The Church and the “Serbian Question”, Nebojša Popov (ed.), The Road to War in Serbia. Trauma and Catharsis (: CEU Press, 2000), pp. 247- 273. ● Vjekoslav Perica, “Interfaith Dialogue versus Recent Hatred: Serbian Orthodoxy and Croatian Catholicism from the Second Vatican Council to the Yugoslav War, 1965– 1992,” Religion, State & Society, Vol. 29, No. 1 (2001), pp. 39-66. ● Klaus Buchenau, “What went wrong? church–state relations in socialist Yugoslavia,” Nationalities Papers, Vol. 33, No. 3, (2005): 547-567.

Books for Review ● Ina Merdjanova, Rediscovering the Umma: Muslims in the Balkans between nationalism and transnationalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013). ● Vjekoslav Perica, Balkan Idols: Religion and Nationalism in Yugoslav States (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2002).

9. Nationalism and Popular Culture (Dario Brentin) This class will focus on the intersection of nationalism, identity formations and popular culture. It links the themes and theories from earlier sessions to explore contemporary material culture and socio-cultural phenomena in Southeastern Europe. Topics of discussion involve the development of popular culture and leisure practices under state socialism and controversies surrounding it during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s and after.

Mandatory Readings ● Edward Alexander, “The Titular Nation In (Post-)Yugoslav Cinema,” in Cultural Studies Approaches in the Study of Eastern European Cinema: Spaces, Bodies, Memories edited by Virginas, Andrea (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016), pp. 85-112 ● Rory Archer, “Assessing Turbofolk Controversies: Popular Music between the Nation and the Balkans,” Southeastern Europe Vol. 36, Nr. 2 (2012), pp. 178-207 ● Dario Brentin, “Ready for the homeland? Ritual, remembrance, and political extremism in Croatian football”, Nationalities Papers Vol. 44, Nr. 6 (2016), pp. 860- 876.

Suggested Readings ● Dina Iordanova, Cinema of flames: Balkan film, culture and the media (London: BFI, 2001). ● Uroš Čvoro, Turbo-folk Music and Cultural Representations of National Identity in Former Yugoslavia. (Burlington: Ashgate, 2014). ● Catherine Baker, Race and the Yugoslav region: Postsocialist, post-conflict, postcolonial? (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2018)

Books for Review ● Catherine Baker, Sounds of the Borderland. Popular music, war and nationalism in Croatia since 1991 (Farnham: Ashgate, 2010)

10. Democracy, Social Movements and Nationalism (Dario Brentin) This class will study the recent wave of (anti-)social movements in Southeastern Europe demanding democratic improvements, protesting corruption and privatisation of the commons, while also looking at conservative and right-wing countermovements.

Mandatory Readings ● Antonija Petričušić, Mateja Čehulić and Dario Čepo, “Gaining Political Power by Utilizing Opportunity Structures: An Analysis of the Conservative Religious-Political Movement in Croatia,” Politička Misao Vol. 54, Nr. 4 (2017), pp. 61-84 ● Heleen Touquet, “The Republika Srpska as a strong nationalizing state and the consequences for postethnic activism,” Nationalities Papers Vol. 40, Nr. 2 (2012), pp. 203-220.

Suggested Readings ● Florian Bieber, Dario Brentin, Social Movements in the Balkans. Rebellion and Protest from Maribor to Taksim (London: Routledge, 2019) ● Petr Kopecky, “Civil Society, uncivil society and contentious politics in post- communist Europe,” Petr Kopecky and Cas Mudde, Uncivil Society? Contentious Politics in post-Communist Europe (London: Routledge, 2002), pp. 1-18. ● Jasmin Mujanović (ed), The Democratic Potential of Emerging Social Movements in Southeastern Europe (Sarajevo: FES, 2017)

Books for Review ● Maple Rasza, Bastards of Utopia: Living Radical Politics After Socialism (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2015). ● Jessica Greenberg, After the Revolution: Youth, Democracy, and the Politics of Disappointment in Serbia (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014).

11. Responding to Nationalism: Post-Conflict Intervention & Transitional Justice (Florian Bieber) In continuation with the previous class, this class will examine the connection between international relations and nationalism in the post-conflict phase. The focus will be on Bosnia and Herzegovina and to a lesser degree on Kosovo. The concluding class will also summarize the different aspects of contemporary nationalism and contemplate on the role nationalism might play in the region in the future. In addition, Southeastern Europe shall be placed in the context of Europe and the roles nationalism plays elsewhere on the continent.

Mandatory Readings ● James Ker-Lindsay, Kosovo. The Path to Contested Statehood in the Balkans (London: IB Tauris, 2009), pp. 102-126. ● Nina Caspersen, “Good Fences Make Good Neighbours? A Comparison of Conflict Resolution Strategies in Post-War Bosnia,” Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 4, No. 5 (2004), pp. 569-588.

Suggested Readings ● Gerald Knaus and Felix Martin, “Travails of the European Raj, Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina”, Journal of Democracy, Vol.14, No. 3 (July 2003), pp. 60-74. ● Patrice C. McMahon and Jon Western, “The Death of Dayton. How to Stop Bosnia From Falling Apart,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 88, No. 5 (October 2009), pp. 69-83. ● Marc Weller, “The Vienna negotiations on the final status for Kosovo,” International Affairs, Vol. 84, No. 4 (July 2008), pp. 659-681.

Books for Review ● Gerard Toal and Carl T. Dahlman, Bosnia Remade. Ethnic Cleansing and Its Reversal (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011). ● Christopher Bennett, Bosnia’s Paralysed Peace (London: Hurst, 2016). ● Cvete Koneska, After Ethnic Conflict. Policy-Making in Post-Conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia (Farnham: Ashgate, 2014) ● Jelena Subotić, Hijacked Justice: Dealing with the Past in the Balkans (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2009). ● Mladen Ostojić, Between Justice and Stability. The Politics of War Crimes Prosecutions in Post-Milošević Serbia (Farnham: Ashgate, 2013).

12. New Nationalism, Stabilitocracy and Authoritarianism (Florian Bieber) This class will discuss the rise and salience of extreme right-wing politics in the contemporary Balkans exploring the significance of the legacy of war during 1990s and the interrelationship between democratic consolidation, economic reform and crisis, EU integration and new nationalism.

Mandatory Readings ● Theodora Vetta, “Revived nationalism versus European democracy: Class and “identity dilemmas” in contemporary Serbia” Focaal—European Journal of Anthropology 55 (2009): 74–89. ● Florian Bieber, "Patterns of competitive authoritarianism in the Western Balkans," East European Politics, 34:3 (2018): 337-354.

Suggested Readings ● Djordje Stefanovic, “The path to Weimar Serbia? Explaining the resurgence of the Serbian far right after the fall of Milosevic”, Ethnic and Racial Studies 31:7(2008), pp. 1195-1221. ● Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers, “The bequest of Ilegalja: contested memories and moralities in contemporary Kosovo” Nationalities Papers, 2013.

Books for Review ● Jasmin Mujanović, Hunger and Fury. The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans (London: Hurst, 2018).