Od Jugoslavije do Zapadnog Balkana: lekcije za globalni mir i bezbednost

Ciljevi izučavanja predmeta

The course aims to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the historical trajectory from the Yugoslav state to the contemporary Western Balkans region, tracing how political transformations, institutional changes, and cultural legacies have shaped its evolution. By examining the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the subsequent processes of peacebuilding, statebuilding, economic transition, and regional cooperation, the course highlights both the enduring legacies of the past and the pressing challenges of the present, ranging from fragile democratic institutions, persistent security and socio-economic vulnerabilities to contested European integration. While focused on the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the evolution of the Western Balkans, the course treats the region as a critical lens through which to interrogate wider academic and policy debates on peace, security, and development.

Ishodi učenja (stečena znanja)

Upon completing the course, students will be able to critically analyse the causes and consequences of Yugoslavia’s dissolution and evaluate the post-conflict lessons it offers for contemporary debates on peace, security, and development in the Western Balkans. They will also develop the capacity to situate regional dynamics within broader comparative and global contexts, and to apply relevant theoretical frameworks beyond this region. Through seminars, simulations, academic writing assignments, and targeted feedback, students will further enhance their ability to construct coherent arguments, engage critically with diverse sources, and produce research-informed policy analysis.

Sadržaj teorijske nastave

1. Yugoslavism: A History of a Failed Idea?
2. Yugoslavia as a State: Between Unification and Collapse
3. Yugoslavia as a Nation: From Realism to Minimalism
4. Economic Systems and Development Models in Yugoslavia
5. Yugoslavia’s ‘Third Way’: Positioning in the Global Context
6. The Fall of Socialism: Dissolution of a State, Birth of a Region
7. Peacebuilding and Statebuilding in the Western Balkans
8. Complex Power-Sharing and Institutional Design in Divided Western Balkan Societies
9. National Identities and Foreign Policies in the Western Balkans
10. Europeanization of Western Balkan Transition Economies
11. Regional Cooperation and Integration in the Western Balkans
12. Simulation / Serious Gaming Exercise
13. Reading Week
14. Reading Week
15. Exam

Sadržaj praktične nastave

Each lecture will integrate seminar-style, student-led discussions. In addition, through simulations and serious games, students will engage with complex political scenarios that challenge them to negotiate, collaborate, and make decisions under conditions that mirror real-world dynamics in conflict and post-conflict areas and issues.

1. Abazović, Dino, and Mitja Velikonja. 2014. Post-Yugoslavia: New Cultural and Political Perspectives. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

2. Baker, Catherine. 2015. The Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Bloomsbury Publishing.

3. Baker, Catherine. 2018. Race and the Yugoslav Region: Postsocialist, Post-Conflict, Postcolonial? Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Lectures, seminars