Since the demise of the Yugoslav socialist federation, borders of republics became boundaries of nation-states, with an increasing number of sub-state regions striving for regional autonomy and/or independence. The workshop explores whether we witness a process resulting from the Yugoslav SFR ethnoterritorial proliferation policies that contemporary political actors mobilise. Is the situation in which ethnic, linguistic, religious kin groups carve out political entities on a scale smaller than the existing multi-ethnic states relevant for processes taking place elsewhere, eg in the course of UK devolution? We look at the case of ex Yugoslavia to discuss challenges posed by “tribal politics” under conditions of social and economic change elsewhere in Europe. The envisaged focus on political institutions’ mitigating impact on ethnopolitical mobilisation in “divided societies” will aid our understanding of origins of ethnic conflicts in contemporary Europe.

The workshop brings together younger scholars to present on conceptual/theoretical perspectives on the relationship between institutional mechanisms that mitigate intergroup conflict and social perceptions of ethnic identities as drivers of conflict in the ex-Yugoslav context. The workshop will explore a range of topics related to inter-communal tensions across the region.

Speakers and topics are:

• Ovo nije moj mir!/This is not my peace! Institutionalised ethnicity and acts of citizenship in post-Dayton Bosnia-Herzegovina (Dr Maria-Adriana Deiana, QUB)
• Romani Minorities and the Construction of the Post-Yugoslav Citizenship Regimes (Dr Julija Sardelic CITSEE Edinburgh)
• Identity, Inclusion and the Kosovo Assembly (Michael Potter, QUB PIS PhD student)
• It takes three to tango? Re-examining ethnic bargaining in rump-Yugoslavia (Laura Wise, Graz/ PIS MA CEC graduate)
• For kin, not for country: Minority participation in Macedonia and Kosovo in the light of EU accession (Dr Timofey Agarin, QUB)