B2934 - AFTER YUGOSLAVIA: MINORITIES AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

Learning outcomes

This module analyses the many-fold social problems brought about by the Yugoslav collapse, with a focus on the issue-area of human and minority rights. Students will develop an in-depth knowledge of the historical, political, economic roots of such problems. Also, they are expected to develop a strong framework of reference of the events that are still in the political agendas and will influence further developments in the Western Balkans.

Course contents

Module content:

The module will be organised around several broad topics:

• Conceptualising individual human rights and national rights in Western Balkans
• Lessons learnt from post-Yugoslav wars: National minority rights
• Conflict and Justice: international courts - ICTY, ECtHR, ICJ and domestic policies
• Nationalism and failures of nation-building and state-building in Western Balkans
• Populism and ethnic politics: Hybrid regimes in the Western Balkans
• Discrimination of Roma in new states
• Gender inequality in the nation-building processes
• Popular culture and post-Yugoslav societies: reflections of nationalist societies or populist policies
• Sport in post-Yugoslav societies: discrimination and human rights
• Comparative study of the post-YU states’ application of national minority rights
• International instruments in securing equality in post-YU states
• European integrations and Western Balkans: conditionality policies
• Selective interpretation of democracy in the Western Balkans

 

Readings/Bibliography

Lectures will provide a basic overview of the subject and should be used as introduction to the literature. Students are strongly encouraged to read as much and as widely as possible in preparation for classes. When writing essays, it will be of particular importance to be familiar with literature and sources. Success in this module and a full understanding of many of the complex and challenging issues it addresses relies also on regular intake of international news. Students should read and check websites of the leading newspapers like The Guardian, The Times, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Le Monde Diplomatique, Der Spiegel, etc. Beware that many foreign language newspapers have editions in English language and are very useful for the study of this course.

Reading List:

Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities(Verso: London 2002).

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

Neven Andjelic, Covid-19, State-Power and Society in Europe: Focus on Western Balkans (Springer, Cham, Switzerland 2022).

Daniela S. Beard and Ljerka V. Rasmussen, (eds.) Made in Yugoslavia: Studies in Popular Music (Routladge. London, 2020).

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

Florian Bieber, The Rise of Authoritarianism in the Western Balkans (Palgrave MacMillan, Cham, Switzerland, 2020).

Vesna Bojicic-Dzelilovic, James Ker-Lindsay and Denisa Kostovicova, Civil Society and Transitions in the Western Balkans (Palgrave MacMillan, London, 2013).

Sumantra Bose, Bosnia after Dayton. Nationalist Partition and International Intervention (London: Hurst, 2002).

David Chandler, Bosnia. Faking Democracy after Dayton (London-Sterling VA.: Pluto Press, 1999).

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

Eric Gordy, Guilt, Responsibility, and Denial: The Past at Stake in Post-Milosevic Serbia (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2013).

James Got, War and War Crimes: The Military, Legitimacy and Success in Armed Conflict (Hurst, London, 2013).

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.

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

Vjollca Krasniqi and Jane McPherson, (eds.) Human Rights in this Age of Uncertainty: Social Work Approaches and Practices from Southeast Europe (Springer, Cham, Switzerland, 2022).

Mario Kresic, Damir Banovic, Alberto Cartio Sampedro and Janis Peps, (eds.) Ethnic Diversity, Plural Democracy and Human Dignity: Challenges to the European Union and Western Balkans (Springer, Cham, Switzerland, 2022).

Denisa Kostovicova, Reconciliation by Stealth: How People Talk about War Crimes (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 2023).

Will Kymlicka, Politics in the Vernacular: Nationalism, Multiculturalism and Citizenship (Oxford University Press, New York 2001).

Danilo Mandic, Myths and Bombs: War, State Popularity and the Collapse of National Mythology (Nationalities Papers, Volume 36 Number 1 March 2008, Association for the Study of Nationalities, Taylor and Francis, Oxford) pp.25-55

Amin Maalouf, In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong (Arcade Publishing, New York, 2012)

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

Vladimir Ortakovski, Minorities in the Balkans (Transnational Publishers Inc. Ardsley, New York, 2000).

Geoffrey Robertson, Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice, (London, Penguin, 2002)

Philippe Sands, East West Street (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 2017). pp. 377-387.

George Schöpflin, Nation, Identity, Power. The New Politics of Europe (London: Hurst, 2001).

Jelena Subotic, Hijacked Justice: Dealing with the Past in the Balkans (Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 2009).

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

Fareed Zakaria, The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad (W.W. Norton and Co, New York, 2007).

International Organisations sources:

Council of Europe: www.coe.int

European Union: www.europa.eu.int

International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia: www.icty.org

Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development: www.oecd.org

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe: www.osce.org 

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/ohchr_homepage 

(b) Journals and Newspapers

Financial Times: www.ft.com 

The Guardian: www.guardian.co.uk

The Wall Street Journal: www.wsj.com

The New York Times: www.nyt.com

The Economist: www.economist.com

American Political Science Association: www.apsanet.org

New Left Review: www.newleftreview.net

New Internationalist Magazine: www.newint.org

Teaching methods

In person lectures, talks and seminars; online talks and seminars; pre-recorded and post-recorded talks, i.e., before and following the in-person classes. Expert guest-speakers and practitioners will deliver short talks to initiate in-class debates. Use of documentary visual footage will be used as lead towards additional research. Students will be encouraged to participate through group work and individual presentations.

Assessment methods

An extended written answer to three broad topics (each answer carrying 25% of the overall mark, thus making this assessment carrying 75% of the overall mark). Pre-requisite to submit the exam is a participation in group/individual work on case studies during the course (25% of the overall mark). The expected overall number of words submitted in answers is 1,500-2000. However, it is the quality and not the quantity that the focus should be on.

Teaching tools

Teaching and learning takes place by means of lectures, seminars and class presentations by students individually or in groups.

Multiple platforms will be used to enhance the learning experience. Online sources, media, both traditional and new, will be exploited to bring the full understanding of the topic.

A particular attention will be paid to developing research skills.

Office hours

See the website of Neven Andjelic