My library can definitely benefit from a history of “southeastern Europe from antiquity to the present”, as can probably all academic and public libraries internationally. Eastern Europe is a less familiar region, and so those in the public sphere who discuss international events can probably all use a handy, relatively short history of the region if a new war, or another conflict sparks in this traditionally volatile region. I visited several countries around the Balkans while living in Russian and later in longer hops from the US, but not the Balkans themselves: I spent time in summer camps in Ukraine, a few summers in Estonia, and a vacation in Italy. The weather in the Balkans is such that it should be the Florida of the region, and yet instead this region is more akin to the Middle East in the level of unrest, poverty and warfare that afflicts it. The cover continues where my thoughts trail off: “We often think of the Balkans as a region beset by turmoil and backwardness, but from late antiquity to the present it has been a dynamic meeting place of cultures and religions… The nascent merchant capitalism of the Mediterranean world helped the Balkan knights fight the Ottomans in the fifteenth century. The deep pull of nationalism led a young Serbian bookworm to spark the conflagration of World War I. The late twentieth century saw political Islam spread like wildfire in a region where Christians and Muslims had long lived side by side. Along with vivid snapshots of revealing moments in time, including Krujë in 1450 and Sarajevo in 1984, Calic introduces fascinating figures rarely found in standard European histories. We meet the Greek merchant and poet Rhigas Velestinlis, whose revolutionary pamphlet called for a general uprising against Ottoman tyranny in 1797. And the Croatian bishop Ivan Dominik Stratiko, who argued passionately for equality of the sexes and whose success with women astonished even his friend Casanova.” This summary definitely sells this history as dense with revealing and insightful events and descriptions of interest to most general and area-specific scholars. The author, Marie-Janine Calic, “is Professor of Eastern and Southeastern European History at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich… She also worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague…” Those who study war-torn regions should definitely contribute to governmental intervention in such conflicts as well as in media interviews on them, so in this sense Calic is performing the multifaceted requirements of a modern scholar. I don’t know if serving on the Tribunal and her other government posts influence her perspective on this history, but it is better if she is biased than if she did not know about this region’s story from a personal perspective.
The map of Southeastern Europe at the start of the book does include Italy, Estonia, Ukraine and Russia, but the black border lines of the region seem to stop at the borders with Italy and Russia, rather than including them. It is strange that Greece and Italy are on the same continent and do not have a major sea or ocean between them and these countries, but they are excluded from membership in this region’s geographic designation. The borders of “Southeastern Europe” is actually a hotly debated question, as parts of Italy, Greece, Ukraine and Turkey have been attributed as belonging to the region in discussions of economic and political assistance. The Balkans are easier to define geographically, as this region is isolated by the boundaries of the Balkan Peninsula. Inclusion in NATO and other European governing bodies can be limited for those in the southeast of Europe, or the relatively poorer regions, so the reasons to claim membership or not belonging to this regional title are multiple.
Calic acknowledges these shaky grounds in her “Introduction”. I recently reviewed another Ivy League book that questioned the West’s claims that it has been the well of intellectual progress for the world, pointing out that the East has perhaps had more inventions, while the West has led the way in falsely claiming ownership of these ideas. Here as well, Calic points out this west-centric perspective: “Because the West generally serves as the model and standard in a worldwide process of modernization, other countries and regions can suffer in comparison—through the apparent absence for a Renaissance or Enlightenment, for example, or simply in socioeconomic backwardness.” She also acknowledges that from an “imperial” perspective, this region has been dominated by “imperial centers” such as “Venice, Istanbul, or Vienna”. Calic proposes to avoid referring to specific nations or empires, and instead to present a “translocal, transregional, and translational” perspective (1-2). It is difficult to grasp how any study can avoid referring to cities, countries and boundaries in this region in particular and in a history, but if it is possible to transcend such distinctions, it would be a curious history indeed. Of course, such avoidance is impossible, as Calic demonstrates when she commences the first chapter on the region before 1500 with a discussion of Alexander the Great and his empire (9). Sections are also divided by years and locations, such as “Istanbul, 1683”: these headings are obviously necessary when covering a giant timespan and geographic region, as otherwise readers would be lost (122). Other sections focus on the relationships between world events such as “The American and French Revolutions” on the region (198). There are also discussions on the relationships between members of different religious sects, as this region is next door to the Middle East. For example, “Thessaloniki… was home to the Talmud Torah school, which shaped Jewish pubic and intellectual life for four hundred years” (220). The economy is also covered, with sections on agriculture, or how herders, breeders, farmers and others made a living and practiced their crafts (275). A few black and white images throughout help to illustrate the history and life in these unique places. A chronology in the back helps to summarize the main events that shaped the geography. A “Glossary” of regional words used across the book should help those who are interested in linguistic distinctions. Later chapters explain modern art, architecture and political developments in terms of how these were shaped by the empires and cultures dominant in the region across the previous centuries (446).
This book is designed as a broad introduction to the region. It appears to be aimed at those who plan on traveling to this region for work or those who are tasked with serving in one of these governments, or working with foreign aid organizations serving the region. These and various other parties who are making decisions regarding not only aid, but also investment or tourism across this giant region should read a history like this one to understand the interrelationships between Italy, Russia, and the countries dominant in this area, who have had their borders shift radically over the centuries. Too often people making decisions on international politics have biased or stereotypical beliefs about less publicized regions like this one, so even reading a short Wikipedia summary might help them, but those who want to move beyond the surface needs histories like this to offer intelligent input on what exactly makes this region distinct from western Europe or from the Middle East.