Identity and Conflict in the Balkans

1. Identity and Conflict in the Balkans Fifth Week, Thursday

2. Announcements • Study Guide • News

3. Film Today: Tito and Me • Final remarks • Letter, Catholic Church • Final speech • Suicide of Raja • Depiction of Tito • Zoran learns about life • Cruelty of adults • Limitations of adults • Meaning of friendship

4. Milovan Djilas (in Kaplan) • Right-hand of Tito in late 40s, early 50s • Importance in break with Stalin • Change in views: dissident • Imprisonment; disgrace in 60s • Literary, cultural output • Died in 1995 • Significance for Serbian culture, politics

5. Kaplan Chapter 4: White City • Beograd (Belgrade) • Danube and Sava Rivers (Old Fortress) • Border of two empires

6. Reading-Discussion Assignment • Ivo Andrić’s Bridge on the Drina • Through page 101 for exam

7. History of the bridge • 16th century • Years to build: follow the seasons • Slave labor (early years)

8. Cultures, hierarchies, identities • References to conversions • Tension between Christians and Muslims • History and myth • Power struggles • Violence

9. Next Kaplan Chapters • Old Serbia • Albania • Macedonia • Beograd

10. Serbia: Issues • Religion: Serbian Orthodoxy as strong part of identity • Spirituality, suffering, martyrdom as themes: Kosovo Field • Importance of monasteries: Gračanica

11. Politics • Svetozvar Marović, President of S-M • President Boris Tadić of Serbia • Political issues with Serbian PM Vojislav Koštunica

12. Long literary and cultural heritage Cultural-political meaning: lost battle must be avenged; forces of good vs. evil • Be patient; accept suffering; revolt; redemption

13. Albania • 20th Century: World Wars, Tito and Hoxha • Post-Tito: Kosovo again

14. History of Albania • The Sahat Kulla (Clock Tower) and Ethem Bey's Mosque \ • Tirana (capital)

15. Albania • Population 3.5 million • Illyrian heritage (pre-Greek) • Occupied territory long before Slavs • Distinctive language • Centuries of Turkish occupation • Occupied Kosovo, but never held it long • Complex role in WWII • Very secular state • Animosity based on memory of massacres

16. Ottoman Empire, mid-16th

17. Ottoman domination 1479-1912 • 1878 Albanian League begins struggle for independence (in Kosova) • Uprisings in 1881, 1910, 1912 • Declaration of Independence in 1912 • Territory ceded to Serbia in 1913 by London Ambassadors’ Conference

18. WWI-WWII • Occupied by Greece, France, Italy, Serbia, Austria-Hungary • Enver Hoxha (Communist) led resistance in 1940s, WWII • People’s Republic in 1946 • Maintained independence and isolation from world powers, with special Chinese connections

19. After Communism • Hoxha died in 1985 • Communist rule ended in 1992 • Severe economic problems • Migration of workers abroad • Territory claims by Greece (which calls part of Albania Northern Epiros) • Support for Kosova and Macedonian Albanians

20. Facts • Population: 3.2 million (UN, 2004) • Capital: Tirana • Major religion: Islam • Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN) • Main exports: Chromium and chrome products, processed foodstuffs

21. Politics • President: Alfred Moisiu • Prime minister: Sali Berisha

22. Enver Hoxha

23. Albania

24. Greater Albania

25. Kaplan Chapter 3: Macedonia • Complex stories • Competing nationalisms • Common elements: hatred and fear

26. Ottoman Domination • Conquered in 1389 • 19th century: Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria make claims on Macedonian territory • Independence movements around turn of century (1900) • Partitioned by Treaty of London in 1913: Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Albania

27. Before and After Partition (1913)

28. Post-WWI • Greece actively promoting “Greek-ness” of Macedonia • Numerous independence activities • WWII: Nazi Bulgaria occupied Macedonia • Resistance efforts: independent Macedonia (in part) • Not recognized by Greece

29. Republic of Macedonia 1991 • Name issues with Greece • Officially “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” • Problems with Albania too: origins, original territory rights • Refugee problems

30. Leaders Today • President: Branko Crvenkovski • Prime minister: Vlado Buckovski

31. Skopje: Bridge over Vardar

32. Churches

33. Mosques

34. Topics (Kaplan) • 1877 Treaty of San Stefano • 1878 Congress of Berlin • Gotse Delchev • Balkan wars, 1912 and 1913 • WWI • Bulgaria and Bulgarians

35. Film: Before the Rain • "Before the Rain refers to the feeling of heavy expectation, when the skies are pregnant with the possibility of an outburst, when the people are silent, waiting for a tragedy of cleansing," writer/director Milcho Manchevski • 1994; directed by Milcho Manchevski • Rade Šerbedžia • Macedonia-Great Britain

36. Milcho Manchevski

37. Awards • Released in 1995 • Independent Spirit Award, • Best Foreign Film, 1996 • Oscar nominee, 1995; Golden Lion for the Best Movie, Venice, 1995 • 30 awards overall

38. Film Before the Rain • Novice Kiril discovers visitor • Murder suspect-fugitive-Albanian • Relatives of victim—search • Violence • Suspense

39. Rain-2 • Kiril and Zamira are discovered • Kiril is kicked out of the monastery • Kiril and Zemfira leave together • Zemfira’s grandfather and brothers/cousins find them • Zemfira tries to leave with Kiril and is killed by her brother

40. Rain – 3 • Section section (“Faces”; first was “Words”) • Anne showers, weeping • Anne finds out she’s pregnant • Anne meets her mother • Alexander joins them • Alex and Anne in the taxi

41. Rain – 4 • Be ready for narrative surprises, shifts in chronology • Violence continues: why?

42. Politics • President: Alfred Moisiu • Prime minister: Fatos Nano

43. Map of Balkan Peninsula