Europe and the Balkans

Decades of 'Europeanization'? Edited by Tanja Zimmermann and Aleksandar Jakir.

Since the end of the wars in former Yugoslavia, the states in the Balkans applying for membership in the EU are cautiously moving closer to the institutional framework of European cooperation. They are trying to overcome the conflicts between them and go beyond the national rhetoric that had accompanied their foundation as nation-states. The economic crisis in Southern Europe has also created new dividing lines within Europe and thus renegotiated relationships of center and periphery, if not of hegemony. This is the background for an attempt at reevaluating the relationship between Europe and the Balkans. 21 contributions give insight into different strategies for introducing the Balkans into a European context and for shaping Balkan identities. Authors from several South European countries as well as from England, Poland and Germany address several European perspectives onto the Balkans in literature, art, media, history and anthropology. The reader will not only find sad or shocking accounts of war and crisis, but also amusing stories, evidence of popular and subversive culture and of the emancipation of women in the Balkans. The book is also a résumé of provocative contemporary discussions about 'Europeanization' and 'Balkanization' in Southeast Europe. 247 Seiten mit 66 Abb., broschiert (Königshausen & Neumann 2015) leichte Lagerspuren/minor shelfwear