This course builds on previous immersive learning courses to the Balkans, initiated by Professor Jan Knippers Black. Professor Black’s goal at the time was to demystify the misconceptions around the region that gave rise to the term “balkanized” and debunk the myth of primordial hatreds that too many people still assume to be the cause of the many rifts in this region. Since that time, the course has undergone multiple iterations, each time focusing on a different aspect of this theme. This iteration will take place in the southernmost of the former Yugoslav republics: Kosovo and Northern Macedonia.

Kosovo and Northern Macedonia each have two majority populations: one slavic and one Albanian. Both countries gained their independence within the last four decades, and tensions between the two populations have figured heavily in how each of the countries has developed. The course will examine the complexities of what happens after conflict, including the complex work of building a new country. We take on topics such as shaping concepts of history and shared memory, “frozen conflicts” and addressing tensions that still remain just below the surface, the role of international partnerships to shape national trajectories, and the concept of national identity formation in new states. To be open to all MIIS degrees, we will be exploring the roles of policy, education, language, and culture to unpack some of the drivers of tensions within each country.

So often in the Balkans, the past is prioritized – and with good reason as it’s a region that has been occupied by so many different populations over time, with each leaving their mark and with many languages and cultures remaining within the peninsula (e.g. Roma, Turkish, Bulgarian, Vlach). However, this course is intentionally shaped to look forward with the same complexity and sense of curiosity. How are some of the youngest countries in Europe choosing to create peace, opportunity, and prosperity? What are the major barriers to move past the conflicts that define the region and imagine a future?

The course is customizable, to fit better with students’ individual concentration. Students will be asked to read materials that provide an overview of the conflict in the Balkans, including recent military activities of the U.S. in Kosovo and resulting spillover into North Macedonia, raising questions of whether either conflict is truly over. They will also be asked to read different visions
for the future of each country, questioning how conflict is being perceived, measured, and addressed – especially at different levels (local or national efforts vs. international programs and donors). We will also seek to explore interventions for peace that have not worked well (e.g., the UN’s presence in Kosovo, North Macedonia’s lengthy EU accession process) and discuss the drawbacks of existing measures, plus efforts that have failed to bring forth transformation. In each country, we will ask experts from diverse perspectives and backgrounds to talk about how they see their country moving forward after the conflict and their hopes for the future. The goal is to provide students with a rich understanding of the context and the complexity of building a new state, as well as raise questions about power, multiple perspectives, myths in society, and marginalized voices. Moreover, throughout the trip, we will take time to periodically discuss and unpack how what we have learned tracks with what we initially thought.