[ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] CfP: Conflicting memories and mutual representations: Italy & the Balkans

[Agron Alibali]

[balkans] CfP: Conflicting memories and mutual representations: Italy & the Balkans

Call for Papers:

Conflicting memories and mutual representations: Italy and the
Balkans 
since 1989 

Co-Organizers: Dr Ilaria Favretto, European Research Centre, Kingston 
University (London,UK), and Dr Dejan Jovic, Department of Politics, 
University of Stirling (Scotland, UK).  



Objectives  

The aim of the project is to examine in a comparative, 
interdisciplinary and historical perspective: 1) the
mutual perceptions and representations between Italy and some
selected 
Southeastern European
countries - namely Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro (i.e. the 
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
and Albania - since 1989; and 2) their impact on the current
reshaping 
of the bilateral and multilateral
relationships that have been taking place in this area within the new 
post-Cold War international
context.  

There has been a growing amount of literature on economic, political 
and diplomatic relationship
between Italy and its eastern neighbours published since 1989. Some 
topics related to history have
also been analysed. However, little has been done to assess
importance 
of collective memories and
mutual perceptions. This project emerges as direct result of our 
belief that the latter are elements
deserving far greater attention and consideration if a full 
understanding and comprehension of the
area's international dynamics is to be achieved. 

Research questions 

The Committee suggests the following possible topics for papers 
(please note that proposals need not
to be limited to these suggestions): 

1) PART 1: Mutual representations after 1989 

- Representation in political discourse

- Representation in the media (including film, books, etc.)

- Representation in academic research (including in history textbooks 
and guidebooks)

- Representation in everyday life (personal experience, etc.) 

In particular we ask: 

Post-1989 developments, the fall of the Berlin wall and EU 
enlargement, have resulted in a further reconsideration of Europe
both 
in terms of geographical borders and what the determinants of
`Europeaness' should be. We ask: 1) How has the perception of 
Southeastern European countries changed in Italy since 1989?; 2) On 
the basis of which factors some post-communist countries have
been regarded more `European' than others?; 3) When was the
notion of 
the `Balkans' revived in Italian national discourse?; 4)
Italy has 
been rediscovering over the last fifteen years her
`mitteleuropean' 
past. What were the implications of the revival of the notion of 
Central Europe in relation to the image of ex-Yugoslav states, such
as 
Slovenia and Croatia? 

At the same time, we ask: 1) What was the mass- and elite-perception 
of the role of Italy during the Yugoslav crisis in post-Yugoslav 
states? 2) Was Italy seen as a friend or `enemy' and, in
either case,
how can this be explained? 3) Were there any regional differences in 
the perception and representation of Italy? 3) Under influence of 
which factors were these perceptions created? 4) What impact would
they have on future relationships between Italy and its eastern 
neighbours? As far as Albania is concerned, what image of Italy did 
people have in the wake of the fall of the Enver Hoxha regime?
What impact did factors such as massive emigration to the Italian 
coasts or the Alba operation have on perception of Italy?  



2) PART II: The impact of collective memory and past legacies 

When analysing political debate on Italian foreign policy and the 
Balkans, one is struck by the extent to which post 1945 anti-fascist 
Italy has succeeded in keeping aspects of WWII fascist involvement in 
the Balkans out from national collective memory. Italians seem to
have 
forgotten that their presence in that area preceded
`humanitarian' 
operations such that in Albania in 1997. By contrast Italy's WWII
military campaign in the Balkan area seems to be far from having
being 
forgotten by the countries concerned. One of the central issues which 
the project will investigate is the question of conflicting
memories and the role played by them in shaping current mutual 
representations between Italy, Yugoslavia and Albania. 



In particular we ask:  

What impact has historiographical revisionism on Fascism and the 
Resistance been exerting on the Italian perception of Southeastern 
European countries such as Slovenia or Croatia? What was the attitude 
of post-1945 Italy towards the legacy of the Fascist Balkans wars or 
issues such the Trieste question? To what extent were they, as it is 
commonly argued, eclipsed from national collective memory? What role 
did they play, instead, in the national collective memory of
countries 
such as Yugoslavia and Albania? What was the attitude of Albania 
towards Italy's increasingly active foreign policy towards the 
country? To what extent have interventions such as the Alba operation 
revived, as we read in the press, past historical ghosts? As far as 
Yugoslavia is concerned - were there any regional differences? Did,
in 
other words, national official discourse/memory in Kosovo or in 
Montenegro differ in some way from the one in Slovenia and Croatia? 
What importance did the `Trieste question' and the problem of 
minorities have in the Yugoslav collective memory?  

We also aim at analysing memories on the communist period in 
Yugoslavia by the Italians. What perceptions were developed in Italy 
of its communist neighbour – Yugoslavia? How were these
perceptions 
shaped? Did they survive? How did they influence the process of 
creating new perceptions about the post-communist post-Yugoslavs?  

Timetable and Outcome 

The project is to be organised as a workshop with 2 sessions – in 
session one, methodology, sources and the papers' main guidelines
will 
be addressed; in session two papers will be presented and discussed. 
Research is to be done by 12-15 academics from all countries to which 
this project focuses - and some experts in the field from outside the 
region (primarily from the UK and US).  

The co-organisers of the project are Dr Ilaria Favretto, European 
Research Centre, Kingston University (London) and Dr Dejan Jovic, 
Department of Politics, University of Stirling (Scotland).  

Subject to funding, the project will begin in September 2002 and will 
end in June 2003. It is expected that papers will be published in an 
edited volume following a successful completion of the project.  

The call for papers is opened by 10 April 2002. Please send a short 
summary of your CV (with a list of recent publications); a 200-300 
word paper proposal; and contact details to: dejan.jovic at stir.ac.uk, 
and/or i.favretto at kingston.ac.uk. 



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