International students learn about the former Yugoslavia mostly in relation to the onset of World War I. This course aspires to go beyond that episode and balance between simplifying complex historical details and illuminating essential controversies of the Yugoslav experience. The violent collapse of Yugoslavia in Europe’s backyard hurt hopes for global peace following the end of the Cold War. Yugoslav civil wars still cast a shadow over contemporary international politics. The protracted conflict over Kosovo is troubling to both normative and geopolitical dimensions of international relations. NATO military intervention without the mandate of the United Nations challenged the norm of state sovereignty in favor of addressing humanitarian concerns. Russia vehemently opposed the NATO attack on Serbia and the Western support of the unilateral secession of Kosovo Albanians, ultimately using it to justify its challenges to the sovereignty of Georgia and Ukraine. This course is aimed at students seeking an understanding of both internal and international contexts of the birth, rise, and fall of the Yugoslav idea since the 19th century, including its three state articulations: the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, communist Yugoslavia and rump Yugoslavia. Students will earn their grade by writing literature reviews, essays, and reflections following site visits, as well as acting in simulations of several episodes of Yugoslav politics. Upon successfully completing this class, students will be able to identify key regional actors and major points of friction among them. Next, students will be able to rely on historical context in order to make sense out of everyday news from the Western Balkans. Lastly, they will be able to situate regional trends within the relevant framework of international powers’ interests and interactions in the Western Balkans. (Lecturer: Mladen Mrdalj)
