Balkans
The Ugly Side of Nation-Building
The formation of states in the post-Ottoman Balkans owed much to individuals who had thrived in a world of rural lawlessness, warfare and violence. They brought the characteristics of frontier societies to bear on the political culture of these new countries, with lasting effects.
Larger Lessons From Whoopi
Because many people’s lives depend on overcoming such persistent and deeply entrenched supremacist ideologies that are visible around the world, this moment to learn should not be(come) a wasted opportunity. Clarifying the connection between racialization and dehumanization and acknowledging different manifestations of such oppressive processes in more than one geographic context is essential to understand these intricate relationships.
In Bosnia, the ‘Eastern Question’ Is Rising Again
With tensions within Bosnia escalating rapidly – encouraged by some European leaders – many have begun to wonder, how many times will the centuries-old “Eastern Question” reappear in today’s Europe?
A Love Song Still Divides a Region
A romantic song has captivated audiences across the Balkans, the Middle East and as far away as Japan. But despite its themes of love and longing, it has been hijacked by nationalists determined to make political mischief out of a search for its origins.
The ‘Ghost Empire’ of the Balkans
In the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire is gone but not forgotten. Many of the citizens of republics in southeastern Europe long for the past to return, a nostalgia that has not gone unnoticed in Turkey. For years, politicians have sought to mobilize this post-imperial memory for their own purposes.
A Literary Consecration of Genocide Denial
The Swedish Academy’s embrace of Handke comes at a time when far-right movements worldwide have also seized elements of 1990s Serbian nationalism as fuel for violent fantasies from Utøya, Norway, to Christchurch, New Zealand.
Libya and the Triumph of the Opportunists
Political opportunists can thrive on the penchant of people to long for the old authoritarian system and forget its dark sides. Many Libyans increasingly look back at the stability of the Gadhafi years with some nostalgia, even if they fervently supported the 2011 revolution.