Since the summer of 2015, the number of Albanians requesting asylum in Western Europe has risen dramatically. Although the number of asylum requests dropped during 2016, the number of people migrating illegally has continued to grow. Balkanist spoke with several Albanians in different countries and asked them why they chose…
Tag: europe
The Migration Crisis Today: A Conversation
The Migration Crisis doesn’t make the front page quiet like it used to, but the issue continues to effect the region, and Europe at large. Just last week the European Parliament criticized its member states for having relocated just 11% of their total obligations. To take a look at the state of the migration crisis…
Roma Youth: A Glimmer of Hope
Suad Skenderi on a future for young Roma in Europe. Roma have lived in Europe since the 12th century, arriving in several waves of migration[1]. They played a crucial role in the nation-building processes in almost every European state. Their contributions have been documented in every area of society, including cultural…
On the EU’s Birthday, Coloniality and the Politics of European Erasure
Every single empire, in its official discourse, has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it has a mission to enlighten, bring order and democracy, and that it uses force only as a last resort. Edward Said 2003: xvi The…
The Zetra Project: Remembering the Concert That Tried to Save Yugoslavia
Remembering the Sarajevo rock show that tried to save Yugoslavia, 25 years later. The forgotten peace movement in Yugoslavia arguably peaked at a rock concert in Sarajevo’s Zetra Olympic Sports Hall on July 28th, 1991. Due to a bad weather forecast, the concert was relocated to Zetra at the last minute. A Sarajevo taxi…
Op-ed: Changing Britain, A Reply to Sara Gvero on the EU Referendum
Dragan Plavšić offers an alternative take on Britain’s decision to leave the EU, the rise in racist incidents since the referendum, and parallels with Yugoslavia. Introduction Sara Gvero (‘Shrinking Britain: A Migrant’s View on the EU Referendum’ Balkanist July 6, 2016) laments the UK’s decision to leave the EU. She…
If Bones Could Talk: Reassembling the Remains of Srebrenica
Twenty-one years after the mass killing of 8,300 men and boys in Srebrenica, the project to find and ID their remains continues. The warning Srebrenica offers to Europe is ever more poignant as the continent drifts apart amid rising nationalism. “The youngest was thirteen.” The Podrinje Identification Project is the…