Southeast European Dialogues: Rebellion and Protest from Maribor to Taksim.Social Movements in the Balkans

From Maribor to Istanbul protests and social movements have shaken the political systems of Southeastern Europe in recent years. These heterogeneous movements represent part of a larger wave of social movements that have been characteristic of the Mediterranean region. Protests in SEE have tackled a range of issues and concerns including austerity, the privatization of public space, the (non) provision and privatization of welfare and public utilities, poverty, corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency, environmental concerns and authoritarian tendencies.

The conference will bring together scholars and activists to discuss the impact of the protest, how they mobilized citizens and their role in the larger international context of social movements. This conference is the third in the series Southeast European Dialogues organized by the Centre for Southeast European Studies of the University of Graz. The first conference entitled “Debating the End of Yugoslavia” took place in November 2011 with eyewitnesses, journalists and scholars participating. The second conference “Leaving Europe’s Waiting Room. The Crisis of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans” took place in November 2012 and included a key note speech by the President of Macedonia Gjorgji Ivanov and other high profile policy makers and analysts.