Identity and Conflict in the Balkans

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Identity and Conflict in the Balkans

• Fifth Week, Thursday

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Announcements

• Study Guide
• News

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Next Kaplan Chapters

• Old Serbia
• Albania
• Macedonia
• Beograd

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Long literary and cultural heritage

• Cultural-political meaning lost battle must be
  avenged forces of good vs. evil
• Be patient accept suffering revolt redemption

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Albania

• 20th Century World Wars, Tito and Hoxha
• Post-Tito Kosovo again

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Reading-Discussion Assignment

• Ivo Andrics Bridge on the Drina
• Through page 101 for exam

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History of the bridge

• 16th century
• Years to build follow the seasons
• Slave labor (early years)

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Cultures, hierarchies, identities

• References to conversions
• Tension between Christians and Muslims
• History and myth
• Power struggles
• Violence

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Ottoman Empire, mid-16th
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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

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WWI-WWII

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

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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

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Politics

• President Alfred Moisiu
• Prime minister Sali Berisha

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Enver Hoxha
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Albania
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Greater Albania
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Kaplan Chapter 3 Macedonia

• Complex stories
• Competing nationalisms
• Common elements hatred and fear

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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

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Before and After Partition (1913)
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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

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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

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Leaders Today

• President Branko Crvenkovski
• Prime minister Vlado Buckovski

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Skopje Bridge over Vardar
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Churches
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Mosques
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Topics (Kaplan)

• 1877 Treaty of San Stefano
• 1878 Congress of Berlin
• Gotse Delchev
• Balkan wars, 1912 and 1913
• WWI
• Bulgaria and Bulgarians

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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 erbedia
• Macedonia-Great Britain

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Milcho Manchevski
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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

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Film Before the Rain

• Novice Kiril discovers visitor
• Murder suspect-fugitive-Albanian
• Relatives of victimsearch
• Violence
• Suspense

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Eastern Orthodoxy

• Orthodox churches
• Icons, iconostasis
• Monastic life
• Macedonian setting

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Language and culture differences

• Macedonian Orthodox
• Macedonian Muslim/Albanian
• Different languages
• Peaceful coexistence?
• Identity language, religious label (not
  doctrine), heritage

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Human message (so far)

• Violence close to the surface
• Children, ninja games, bullets in the fire
• Macedonian men seeking revenge random violence
  (against cat)
• Rain coming
• Garden provides sustenance (tomatoes given to
  girl)
• Monks offer protection

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Film

• Narrative devices
• Unconventional chronology

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Rain-2

• Kiril and Zamira are discovered
• Kiril is kicked out of the monastery
• Kiril and Zemfira leave together
• Zemfiras grandfather and brothers/cousins find
  them
• Zemfira tries to leave with Kiril and is killed
  by her brother

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Rain 3

• Section section (Faces first was Words)
• Anne showers, weeping
• Anne finds out shes pregnant
• Anne meets her mother
• Alexander joins them
• Alex and Anne in the taxi

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Rain 4

• Be ready for narrative surprises, shifts in
  chronology
• Violence continues why?

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Politics

• President Alfred Moisiu
• Prime minister Fatos Nano

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Map of Balkan Peninsula
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Hall, Part I

• How do Croats regard Slovenes?
• How do Croats regard Serbs?
• Attitudes change, relations change toward the end
  of the section
• What happened?