CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

HIST 208 | History of the Balkans

Fall Term 2023

Class: Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:45 P.M. – 4:00 P.M.

Room: H 420

Professor: Dr. Max Bergholz

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
Office: LB 1001.18
e-mail: [email protected]

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the history of the Balkans, which largely corresponds to the
southeastern part of Europe whose specific social, political, cultural, and economic
characteristics were forged while under the authority of—or in close contact with—the Ottoman
Empire. Our course begins with an overview of this Empire, its conquest of the Balkans, and the
nature of the societies there that came under its authority. In addition to lectures, we will explore
some of these subjects through a travel account written by a diplomat who visited the region in
the sixteenth century. This will allow us to examine more generally what a primary source tells
us—and does not tell us—about the past. We will then turn to an exploration of how the
ideology of nationalism affected the Balkans, which laid the basis for attempts to create nation-
states around ethnic and national conceptions of an “us” and “them.” The primary source
through which we will examine this complex process will be an epic poem produced by a
nationalist activist in the region during the mid-nineteenth century. In the final part of the course
we will examine the rise of Balkan nation-states during the nineteenth century, the collapse of
the Ottoman Empire, and the various wars and political, social, and economic transformations of
the twentieth century. We will focus attention on two tasks. First, we will reflect on
historiography—the study of historical studies of particular subjects—by assessing the strengths
and limitations of our two short surveys of Balkan history. Second, we will fast forward to the
1990s and read a graphic novel about the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992-1995) in order to use
a local case study from the Balkans to explore more generally the dynamics of intercommunal
violence in a multi-ethnic milieu.

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Course Objectives for Students

1. To develop skills of historical analysis by learning about key factors that shaped the
specific dynamics of politics and society in the Balkans.

2. To improve critical reading and writing skills by closely engaging with primary and
secondary sources and writing concise and precise analytical essays about them.

3. To strengthen the capacity to articulate ideas and pose questions through in-class
discussion.

Required Readings for Purchase at the Concordia University Book Stop

Mark Mazower, The Balkans. A Short History (2000, or any edition).

Andrew Baruch Wachtel, The Balkans in World History (2008, or any edition). (Electronic
edition available in the Concordia’s library system)

The Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq. Translated by Edward Seymour Forster
(Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2005 [1927]).

Joe Sacco, Safe Area Goražde. The War in Eastern Bosnia, 1992-1995 (2000, or any edition).

* All required readings listed above will be available for purchase at the Concordia University
Book Stop. You may also purchase them from whatever bookseller you wish.

Other Required Readings

Selected chapters from Mark Biondich, The Balkans: Revolution, War, and Political Violence
since 1878 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011). (Electronic edition available in the
Concordia’s library system)

Ivan Mažuranić, “Smail-Aga Čengić’s Death” (1845). (To be distributed to students via Moodle
by the instructor)

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Evaluation

A. Map Quiz

For the map quiz students will be required to identify ten of the geographical locations listed at
the end of the syllabus. Each location must be identified in relation to its two closest locations
from the list. For example, if the city “Belgrade” appeared on the quiz, a correct answer would
be: “Belgrade is on the Danube River and northeast of Sarajevo.”

The ten locations to be identified will be selected on the day of the quiz, and therefore students
should be prepared to identify all locations when they come to class.

In preparation for the quiz, students should consult the maps in the books by Mazower and
Wachtel, which show most of the locations. For the rest, students should consult page 19 of
Sacco’s book. Students should also feel free to consult relevant atlas sources, which can be
found in Concordia University’s library system.

B. Papers

This course requires students to write four papers. Students should not exceed the assigned word
limit. Papers should be prepared with one-inch margins, double-spaced, and with twelve-point
font in Times New Roman style. All pages should be numbered in the lower right of the page.
Any citations to the readings should be in footnote form (please follow The Chicago Manual of
Style for footnotes and bibliographies). Students will submit their papers as Word documents to
their Teaching Assistant via email.

Students are encouraged to meet with the instructor and/or their Teaching Assistant to discuss
their outlines for these papers as they prepare them, as well as to discuss papers once they have
been graded in order to determine methods for improvement.

In addition to consulting with the course’s teaching staff about writing assignments, students
should be aware of the tutoring assistance available at Concordia’s Writing Centre. Should any
student wish to book an online appointment, please use the following link:
https://www.concordia.ca/students/success/learning-support/writing-assistance.html

* Please note that no paper submitted in French will be accepted without prior approval from
the course instructor.

C. Weekly Discussion Meetings (with Teaching Assistants)

History 208 is an introductory course to which are attached weekly discussion workshops. In
groups of no more than fifteen, students will meet with one of the three Teaching Assistants who
will be working with this course. In these workshops, students will have the opportunity to
discuss the course readings, and they will engage in exercises to better prepare themselves for

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their four writing assignments. Attendance of these workshops is mandatory, and each
student’s weekly class participation will constitute 10% of the final grade in the course. Class
participation will be evaluated according to each student’s level of preparedness of the weekly
readings, and capacity for active engagement with their instructor and classmates during
discussions.

The Teaching Assistants for this course are:

Meaghan Landrigan-Buttle
[email protected]
Section A: Tuesdays, 10:15 A.M. – 11:00 A.M., MB S2.455
Section D: Tuesdays, 11:45 A.M. – 12:30 P.M., MB S1.105

Conor Kilroy
[email protected]
Section B: Tuesdays, 10:15 A.M. – 11:00 A.M., H 564
Section E: Tuesdays, 11:45 A.M. – 12:30 P.M., MB 3.285

Collin Bonnell
[email protected]
Section C: Tuesdays, 10:15 A.M – 11:00 A.M., H 537
Section F: Tuesdays, 11:45 A.M – 12:30 P.M., MB 3.265

Grade Break Down

Map Quiz: 5%
Workshop participation 10%
First Paper: 15%
Second Paper: 20%
First Final Paper: 25%
Second Final Paper: 25%

Marking

All marks will be given as letter grades with a corresponding percentage (i.e., 0-100). A detailed
description of grading norms in the History Department may be found by consulting the History
Department website. The Teaching Assistants will grade the first two papers of the course. The
instructor will grade the map quiz and final two papers.

Late Work

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In general, late work will not be accepted, except in exceptional circumstances such as illness or
death in the family. Should you find yourself in such a situation, please contact Dr. Bergholz as
soon as possible and reasonable accommodations will be made.
Use of Laptops and Cell Phone Policy

Students are encouraged not to use their laptops in class during lectures for note taking purposes.
Those who wish to use laptops during lectures are encouraged to sit in the last row of chairs in
the classroom so as to not distract other students.

Students are encouraged not to use laptops during the weekly workshops so as to facilitate active
listening and discussion.

Cell phones should always be turned off before class begins, and they should be stowed in bags
or coats for the duration of class. They should not be on desks or in any other visible place in the
classroom.

Classroom Etiquette

 Please arrive to class on time.

 Please do not talk with classmates during the lectures.
 Please do not get up and leave the lecture hall before the lecture is over unless you have
previously obtained permission from the instructor.
 Please avoid eating in class.

Code of Conduct (Academic)

Please consult the appropriate page of Concordia’s website for the university’s policy on
“Academic Intergrity and Academic Code of Conduct.”

Plagiarism

Since this course contains a significant writing component, students should familiarize
themselves with Concordia University’s policy on plagiarism, which is an offence that, if
committed, will result in serious consequences.

From Concordia’s Academic Code of Conduct:

The most common offense under the Academic Code of Conduct is plagiarism which the Code
defines as "the presentation of the work of another person as one's own or without proper
acknowledgement" (Article 16a).

This could be material copied word for word from books, journals, internet sites, professor's
course notes, etc. It could be material that is paraphrased but closely resembles the original

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source. It could be the work of a fellow student, for example, an answer on a quiz, data for a lab
report, a paper or assignment completed by another student. It might be a paper purchased
through one of the many available sources. Plagiarism does not refer to words alone - it can also
refer to copying images, graphs, tables, and ideas. "Presentation" is not limited to written work.
It also includes oral presentations, computer assignments and artistic works. If you translate the
work of another person into French or English and do not cite the source, this is also plagiarism.
If you cite your own work without the correct citation, this too is plagiarism.

On Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Students are expected to compose each and every sentence of their assignments without the use
of any AI. Should the instructor have concerns about whether a student has complied with this
stipulation, the instructor reserves the right to call the student to an oral defense of the written
submission, as well as to request any and all preparatory work used to compose the written
submission (including in-class notes, outlines, notes written in course reading assignments, etc.).
Should there be a discrepancy between the written submission and the oral defense, the grade
given for the oral defense will be final.

Intellectual Property

Content belonging to instructors shared in online courses, including, but not limited to, online
lectures, course notes, and video recordings of classes remain the intellectual property of the
faculty member. It may not be distributed, published or broadcast, in whole or in part, without
the express permission of the faculty member. Students are also forbidden to use their own
means of recording any elements of an online class or lecture without express permission of the
instructor. Any unauthorized sharing of course content may constitute a breach of the Academic
Code of Conduct and/or the Code of Rights and Responsibilities. As specified in the Policy on
Intellectual Property, the University does not claim any ownership of or interest in any student
IP. All university members retain copyright over their work.

COVID 19

COVID 19

The COVID 19 pandemic has thankfully receded in severity, but nonetheless remains an ongoing
concern for all of us. Please familiarize yourself on a regular basis with the university’s
COVID Information web page.

In general, please do not attend class if you are feeling sick. Contact the course instructor as
soon as possible so that reasonable accommodations can be made for you to continue your
coursework at home while you recover. If you test positive for COVID 19, please do not return
to class until at least five days have passed.

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* Please note that the instructor reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to this
course plan should it become necessary to do so at some point during the term.

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Course Schedule

Week One

September 6 (lecture)

 Course Introduction

Week Two

September 11 (lecture)

 What are the Balkans?

Mazower, xxv-xliii (introduction—all).
Wachtel, 1-9.

September 13 (lecture)

 The Balkans before the Ottoman Empire

Wachtel, 11-50.

Workshop

 Workshop introduction

Week Three

September 18 (lecture)

 The Ottoman Conquest of the Balkans

Mazower, 3-24.
Wachtel, 51-71.

September 20 (lecture)

 Characteristics of Ottoman Society and Methods of Rule

The Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Forward (all), Introduction
(all), and 1-75 (the entire first letter).

Workshop

 Discussion of The Turkish Letters

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Week Four

September 25 (lecture)

 Characteristics of Ottoman Society and Methods of Rule (continued)

No Readings (continue discussion of the first letter by Busbecq).

 Map Quiz Due (to be submitted to the instructor via email)

September 27 (lecture)

 Identification, Categorization, and Social Relations in the Ottoman Balkans

Mazower, 24-36.
The Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, 85-168 (the entire third
letter).

 First Paper Assignment (due on October 18th): In an essay of no more than 1200 words,
discuss what we learn, and do not learn, about the Ottoman Empire by reading The
Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq. What are the uses and limitations of this
kind of travel account by a diplomat for historians of the Balkans? (Paper to be
submitted to your Teaching Assistant via email).

Workshop

 Discussion of The Turkish Letters

Week Five

October 2 (lecture)

 Identification, Categorization, and Social Relations in the Ottoman Balkans (continued)

Mazower, 39-65.

October 4 (lecture)

 International Influences and the Idea of “the Nation”

Mazower, 65-76.

Workshop

 Essay preparation for first writing assignment

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Week Six

October 9

 No class – University closed for Thanksgiving

October 11 (lecture)

 No class – Mid-term break

Workshop

 No workshop

Week Seven

October 16 (lecture)

 International Influences and Nationalism.

Mazower, 79-90.
Wachtel, 72-83 (to the end of the long paragraph on 83).

October 18 (lecture)

 Nationalist Activists
Mažuranić, 35-39 (biography) and 5-17.

 First Paper Assignment Due (to be submitted to your Teaching Assistant via email)

Workshop

 Discussion of “Smail-Aga Čengić’s Death”

Week Eight

October 23 (lecture)

 Nationalist Activists (Continued)

Mažuranić, 18-34.

 Second Paper Assignment (Due November 20th): In a paper of no more than 1200
words discuss what Mažuranić’s poem, “Smail-Aga Čengić’s Death,” tells us about the

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 objectives and concerns of nationalist activists in the Balkans during the nineteenth
century. (Paper to be submitted to your Teaching Assistant via email).

October 25 (lecture)

 “The Eastern Question” and the Emergence of Balkan Nation-States

Mazower, 90-98.
Wachtel, 83-84.

Workshop

 Discussion of “Smail-Aga Čengić’s Death”

Week Nine

October 30 (lecture)

 The Ottoman Empire in Crisis

Mazower, 98-106.
Wachtel, 86-90 (to the end of the last full paragraph on 90).

November 1 (lecture)

 Nationalism and the Balkan Wars

Mazower, 106-118 (to the end of the second paragraph on 118).
Wachtel, 90-96.

Workshop

 Essay preparation for second writing assignment

Week Ten

November 6 (lecture)

 World War I and its Aftermath in the Balkans

Mazower, 118-130.
Wachtel, 97-108 (to the end of the second full paragraph).
Biondich, 95-130.

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November 8 (lecture)

 The Interwar Balkans and the outbreak of World War II

Wachtel, 108-112.
Biondich, 130-153.

Workshop

 Discussion of Mazower and Wachtel

Week Eleven

November 13 (lecture)

 World War II—continued

No readings

November 15 (Lecture)

 Building Modern States after 1945

Mazower, 130-143.
Wachtel, 113-120 (to the end of the paragraph from the previous page on
120).
Biondich, 155-192.

Workshop

 Discussion of Mazower and Wachtel

Week Twelve

November 20 (lecture)

 Historiography: Mazower versus Wachtel on Nationalism in the Balkans

No readings

 Second Paper Assignment due (to be submitted via email)

November 22 (lecture)

 Violent and Non-Violent Pathways after the Collapse of Communism

Wachtel, 120-125.
Biondich, 193-253.

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Workshop

 Essay preparation for third writing assignment

Week Thirteen

November 27 (lecture)

 War in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Sacco, Introduction, Prologue, and 1-75.

November 29 (lecture)

 Macro versus Micro Approaches to the Study of Violence

Sacco, 76-154.

Workshop

 Discussion of Safe Area Goražde

Week Fourteen

December 4 (lecture)

 Are the Balkans Different from the Rest of the World?

Sacco, 155-227.
Mazower, 145-156.

 Final Paper Assignments (Due December 19th by 5:00 p.m.; electronic copies of the
papers are to be sent to Dr. Bergholz via email):

First Assignment: In an essay of no more than 1200 words compare and contrast how
Mazower and Wachtel treat the subject of nationalism in the Balkans in their books.

Second Assignment: In an essay of no more than 1200 words discuss the usefulness and
limitations of Sacco’s micro approach to writing about the war in eastern Bosnia.

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GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS FOR MAP QUIZ

1. Bucharest
2. Istanbul/Constantinople
3. Belgrade
4. Zagreb
5. Sarajevo
6. Kosovo/Kosova
7. Tirana
8. Skopje
9. Podgorica
10. Ljubljana
11. Danube River
12. Sofia
13. Salonika/Thessaloniki
14. Albania
15. Montenegro
16. Bosnia-Herzegovina
17. Black Sea
18. Athens
19. Macedonia (or “North Macedonia” as it is now known)
20. Goražde

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