Aleksandar Vučić, the Director of Serbia’s Political Theater of the Surreal
Regime-organized rallies, fake analysts and experts, fake PhDs, and a tabloid-mediated alternate reality: Welcome to Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbia. ‘Disunity’ is the term that best describes Serbian society today. Under the authoritarian…
From Tradition to Art: Albanian Dowry Practices Adapt to the 21st Century
Among Albanians, it is tradition that when a woman is to be married, she must construct her dowry (Albanian: çejz, pronounced CH-aze). Taking the form of an exhibition that is supposed to…
The Erased: A New Film About the Forgotten Yugoslavs Deliberately Erased From Slovenia
It’s easy to take for granted all those documents that you have in your wallet. Driver’s license and ID, maybe even your passport, or if you’re in a country with national healthcare,…
Our Statement on the Pro-Vučić Russian-language Propaganda Site Balkanist.ru
Earlier this week, it was brought to our attention that a new-ish Russian-language portal calling itself Balkanist.ru exists. Its primary aim appears to be the publication of propaganda for the dictatorship of…
Balkanist Presents: A State of War
A State of War follows two Ukrainian marines over the course of one year as they serve, live and fight in the shadow of Shyrokyne, a ruined seaside resort town in Donetsk…
Turkey’s Foreign Policy is Inflaming Greek Historical Memory
Tensions ran high across the Aegean on March 25, 2019, as Turkish fighter jets zoomed towards the Greek prime minister’s helicopter. Greek fighter jets intercepted the Turkish planes before they got too…
Film: Conversations About the (Un)known History of Roma Slavery
History is not what happened in the past, it is how we make sense of it in the present. It sets the terms by which we can reconcile past injustices with current…
In Conversation: Dragica Sekulić, Montenegro’s Minister of Economy on China’s New Silk Road
Malgosia Krakowska spoke with Dragica Sekulić, Montenegro’s Minister of Economy, on why the government is welcoming Chinese investments and how she envisions the country’s future as a European green energy hub. …
How to Sleepwalk Into a War
America’s experiment with its first Twitter presidency hasn’t inspired faith in our political institutions. What have long been long policy processes are now condensed to visual aids, 280-character thoughts, and as many…
Memories of a Bombardment: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of the NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia
It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. From today’s vantage point, those 78 days seem like a foreign world, and one that I sometimes…