55739 - The Yugoslav Crisis and its Demise

Learning outcomes

Students are expected to develop an in-depth knowledge about the reasons that have provoked the Yugoslav collapse, and about its consequences in terms of power legitimation, human and minority rights protection, regional and international power politics, cooperation with the ICTY and regional destabilization in spite of the EU expanding commitments in the area. Finally, students will have a strong framework of reference of the events that are still in the political agendas and will influence further developments in SEE.

Course contents

The course will focus on the role of nationalism in a break up of the state. The failure of communist system, prolonged economic crisis and international relations will be put into context of the state and system crisis. Special attention will be put to the role of history in creating Yugoslav crisis and its demise and the use and misuse of history by the protagonists. The course will follow development of nations in the region. The rise of religion as important factor in national identities will be specially analyzed. The issue of post-commmunist developments in general will be addressed. A study of Yugoslav political system that was unique will help understanding the crisis of Yugoslavia.

Readings/Bibliography

Neven Andjelic, Bosnia-Herzegovina: The End of a Legacy (Frank Cass Publishers, London 2003).

Stefano Bianchini & George Schöpflin (Ed.), State Building in the Balkans. Dilemmas on the Eve of the 21st Century (Ravenna: Longo Editore, 1998).

Ivan Colovic, Politics of Symbol in Serbia (London: Hurst, 2002).

Dejan Jovic, Yugoslavia: The State that Withered Away (Purdue University Press, West Lafayette, In, USA, 2009).

Tim Judah, Kosovo: War and Revenge (Yale Nota Benne Book, Yale 2002).

Stuart J. Kaufman, Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War (Ithaca-London: Cornell University Press, 2001).

John Lampe, Yugoslavia as History. Twice there was a Country (Cambridge: CUP, 2001).

Mark Mazower, The Balkans. A Short History (New York: Modern Library, 2002).

Maria Todorova, Imagining the Balkans (Oxford University Press: Oxford/New York 1997).

Teaching methods

Case studies of the regional ethnic conflicts in former Yugoslavia will be analysed thoroughly. The classes will be made of both empirical and theoretical sections including lectures, presentations, seminars and discussions.

Assessment methods

Every student has to prepare one presentation of around ten to fifteen minutes and a hand-out presenting the main argument and offering a critical analysis. The major part of the assessment is a paper of around 1500 to 2000 words, 1.5 spaced with footnotes/references). The subject of the paper will have to be the topic presented in class. It is supposed to be developed further following the in class presentation and the feed-back from colleagues. Marking will be based on participation in class (10 %), the in-class presentation (20 %), and the final paper (70 %). The presentation will enable students to use it as corrective before proceeding with the major assignment. The paper will be submitted after the end of the course and the presentations will take place in the second week of the course.

 

The outcome of the module will be averaged to that of the other module composing the integrated course in order to determine the final grade.

Office hours

See the website of Neven Andjelic