by Enej Lovrečič (Graz), Johannes Nüßer (Regensburg), Anna Charlotte Richter (Regensburg), Fabio Ashtar Telarico (Ljubljana), Antonia-Annamaria Varga (Regensburg), Jessica Barboni (Regensburg), George Alatsidis (Thessaloniki)
Organiser: Southeast European Studies Student Symposium and Southeast Europe Association
Image 1: Southeast European Studies Student Symposium 2025The Southeast European Studies (SEES) Student Symposium was initiated by students from the universities of Graz, Regensburg, and Jena. The main goal of the symposium is to provide an opportunity for networking among students and graduates who are interested in Southeast European Studies. The event is designed to function as a platform for the exchange of ideas and feedback on current research papers and projects, thereby facilitating a diverse range of topics.
A total of 63 people registered, including the 19 pre-selected presenters. These presenters were from a variety of European countries such as Greece, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic and Russia. The presentations were grouped into panels according to their common themes. The participants’ contributions used perspectives from different disciplines, and included topics falling under the categories Nationalism, Identity and State Formation, Social, Economic and Political Transformations and War, Violence and Historical Memory.
Day 1, Room 1
The Symposium was formally opened by Professor Nikolaos Tzifakis. In his speech titled: “From the Waiting Room to Full Membership: The Challenges in the EU accession path of the Western Balkans”. Professor Tzifakis addressed the challenges of the future enlargement of the European Union towards the Western Balkans.
Day 2, Room 1- Nationalism, Identity, and State Formation
The first presentation in Room 1 was given by Gresa Morina (Regensburg), who spoke about “Aging, Care and Migration: An Examination of the Living Situation of Retirees from Former Yugoslavia in Germany”. Gresa discussed the living situations of retirees from former Yugoslavia in Germany highlighting how aging, care and transnational life intertwined in their biographies and the essential role of family ties in maintaining connections to their homeland.
This presentation was followed by Enej Lovrečič’s (Graz) discussion about “Nationalism and racism in Slovenia”. In this early-stage research on nationalism and emotions in Slovenia, Enej reflected on the challenges of adapting research questions when initial assumptions fail to align with findings.
Nikolaos Tselentis (University of Aegean) then presented his seminar paper on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s geopolitical position between East and West, examining the influence of foreign actors and prospects for the country’s future.
Bilyana Valkova (Graz, Ljubljana) examined in her presentation “The Development and Securitization of National Identity in Bulgaria (1970-1989)” the Revival Process, and how media, education and state institutions promoted national cohesion.
Finally, Lea Hensch (Research Associate at a Berlin-based NGO) gave her presentation titled “Nation, Gender and Memory Politics: The forgotten contribution of women to the building of the Kosovar nation”. Lea based her analysis on ethnographic research, involving interviews on women’s contribution to Kosovo’s civil resistance.
Day 2, Room 2- Social, Economic, and Political Transformations
The presentations in room 2 started with Amalia Angeliki Theocharidou (Piraeus) who analysed “The integration of the EU energy market in Southeastern Europe as a diversification mechanism after the Russo-Ukrainian war”. Amalia’s research explored the potential for the EU to establish such a safety net with the Western Balkans.
Haralampos Savvidis (Regensburg) delivered a subsequent presentation on his bachelor thesis, which focused on “Unions and Unity: Why the Ottoman socialist movement could not stop the nationalist carving on the Balkans”. The worker association WFS is unique in it being ethnically Greek and yet the internationally representative socialist organ in the Ottoman Empire.
Following this presentation, Alessandro Ierano (Graz) presented his master’s thesis proposal on “Montenegro: In the Footsteps of the DPS? Navigating Partocracy after dominant party rule”. Alessandro mainly focused on the manner in which political parties replicated the DPS’s approach since 2020, a subject which he plans to explore through interviews (including some with politicians), public reports, and anecdotal evidence.
Liana Popa (Vienna) then presented her master’s thesis on “Maternal Mortality in Romania’s Ceaușescu Regime”. To address her analysis topic, she examined 16 medical records from 1987 from a Romanian hospital, reconstructing the short biographies of the women.
The presentations in Room 2 concluded with Dionysios Karavitis’ (Piraeus) presentation on “An Aspiring Regional Power’s Naval Strategy and Security Concerns in Southeast Europe: Turkey’s ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine”. Dionysios examined Turkey’s strategy in Southeastern Europe from a historical point of view, arguing that Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” stands for its new strategic objectives.
Day 2- Workshop
During her workshop on “Whose Stories Are We Watching? Unpacking Antigypsyism in South-Eastern European Cinema”, Dr. Andra Drăghiciu explored with the attendees the representations of Sinti and Roma in (Southeast European) films. Alongside reflective exercises on positionality, two video clips were discussed to further sharpen media literacy skills as well as analyse power dynamics and racialised identities.
Day 3, Room 1- War, Violence and Historical Memory
The following day started with Benedikt Putz (Berlin) presenting his comparative research titled “From Partisan Republic to Nation-State: Constructing national histories of World War II resistance in post-Yugoslav Slovenia and post-Soviet Belarus”. Benedikt focused on how these narratives are embodied in monuments and shaped through remembrance practices and museum-building.
Dimitrije Sekulovic (Moscow) presented his project proposal on the “Evolution of the Police State in Serbia (1987-2003)”. This proposal explored the mechanisms of state control during and after the Milošević era.
Agathe Formanek (Erasmus Mundus Tartu, Glasgow and Sarajevo) presented her master’s thesis titled “The lack of interest in the remembrance of communist prison and labour camps in the Balkans – A case-study of Yugoslav Goli Otok” about the official Croatian state memory of the labour camp at Goli Otok that was operated by Socialist Yugoslavia from 1949-1956 for the “re-education” of political prisoners.
Finally, Ben Orendt (Jena) presented his research on “A Slave Race: The Enslavement of Roma in Wallachia and Moldova in the 16th Century and its Causes”. He examined the history and the historical context of the enslavement of Roma people in the early Danube principalities.
Day 3, Room 2- Culture, Language, and Religion
In Room 2 the presentations started with Philip Piljic‘s (Graz) work titled “NGOs and Reconciliation: History Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. Philip posits that history education is crucial for the reconciliation process in post-conflict societies like Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
Leander Hanssen (Ghent) then continued with his “Growing Ideological Interference of Both States in Cultural Policy through Mainstream Cinema”, which primarily serves as a PhD proposal. His work examined the ideological influences of two states on their respective cultural policies, through the lens of mainstream cinema.
Anna-Maria Takaliou (Graz) presented her research proposal, “Smoke and Soil: An Environmental History of the Tobacco Trade in Early 20th Century Greece”. She aims to delve into the historical context of oriental tobacco production and trade in the regions of Macedonia and Thrace, parts of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.
Lastly, Arlinda Shatri‘s (Conservator and Restaurateur at the National Museum of Kosovo) comparative study, “Religious Syncretism and Identity: A Comparative Study of Halvetii (Khalwati) Order and Sufism Practices in the Has Region”, aimed to investigate religious identity through the lens of syncretic practices.
Day 3- Workshop ”SEE! Career Prospects”
On Saturday, Dr. Pavel Antonov of the BlueLink Foundation led a workshop during which he introduced the organisation and shared valuable insights to guide participants in their future endeavours. He emphasised that BlueLink is not merely a think tank, but a think-and-action tank — an entity committed to cultivating innovative ideas and effecting meaningful change.
The organising committee would like to thank all people who contributed to the successful event.
Im griechischen Teil Thrakiens sticht die geopolitische Relevanz der Region besonders ins Auge. Bereits kurz vor den Toren unserer ersten Station Alexandroupolis passierte unser Reisebus eine große Kaserne des griechischen Militärs. Die Gründe für die hohe Militärpräsenz in der Stadt und Umgebung ergeben sich einerseits aus der Grenznähe zur Türkei und andererseits aus dem für die NATO strategisch wichtigen Hafen.
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