Balkan Communism Revisited

In the past few years there has been a revived interest in how international Communism affected politics and society in the Balkan region during the Cold War. Most importantly, new research has convincingly shown that Soviet control was not uniform in the region and that the cracks that appeared on the surface of the Soviet bloc merit investigation as they expose significant differences at the societal, political, and cultural level. Can we speak of Balkan Communism as a distinct analytical category or is it more pertinent to deal with communism in the region based solely upon its national framework and characteristics? This panel of scholars aims to present to the public new findings on this topic while exploring the residue of that era in collective memory and public history.
10.00 – 11.30: First panel
Elidor Mëhilli, City University of New York
Balkan Communism as a Lesson in Geopolitics
Nikos Marantzidis, University of Macedonia
Stillborn Balkanism: the Comintern, the Balkan Communist Federation and Greek Communism during the interwar

Theodora Dragostinova, Ohio State University
“As Much Balkan as Communist”: Perspectives on Balkan Communism during the Late Cold War

13.30 – 15.00: Second panel
Vladimir Tismaneanu, University of Maryland
Balkan Communism as National Stalinism: Reflections on the Romanian Experiment

Emily Greble, Vanderbilt University
Contested Communisms: Myths, Practices, and Experiences of Communism in Yugoslavia

Stefan Gužvica, University of Belgrade
Sickle Without Hammer: a Balkan Perspective on Communism from the Comintern to the Cominform

15.30 – 17.00: Plenary session and concluding remarks (discussant: John Iatrides, Southern Connecticut University)