Ethnic Minorities and Politics in Post-Socialist Southeastern Europe

Southeast European politics cannot be understood without considering ethnic minorities. This book is a comprehensive introduction to ethnic political parties.

Sabrina P. Ramet (Edited by), Marko Valenta (Edited by)

9781107159129, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 September 2016

322 pages
23.6 x 15.9 x 2.4 cm, 0.61 kg

'An outstanding, thoroughly informative account of the situation of ethnic minorities in post-socialist Southeastern Europe. The collection of case studies transcends pure description and contributes to theoretically informed debate. The chapters span the region and inform the reader without getting lost in detail, while developing a coherent perspective anchored in social theory … The most important contribution of this volume is in overcoming the simplistic proposition that ethnic heterogeneity leads to instability and conflict. Every chapter discovers a whole array of intervening variables between heterogeneity and political outcomes.' Duško Sekuli?, University of Zagreb

Southeast European politics cannot be understood without taking ethnic minorities into account. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the politics of ethnic minorities, examining both their political parties and issues of social distance, migration, and ethnic boundaries, as well as issues related to citizenship and integration. Coverage includes detailed analyses of Hungarian minority parties in Romania, Albanian minority parties in Macedonia, Serb minority parties in Croatia, Bosniak minority parties in Serbia, and various minority parties in Montenegro, as well as the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, a largely Turkish party, in Bulgaria.

Part I. Setting the Scene: 1. Situating ethnic minorities in post-socialist Southeastern Europe: an introduction Marko Valenta and Sabrina P. Ramet
2. Ethnic politics in post-socialist Southeastern Europe: an overview Janusz Bugajski
3. Social distance toward ethnic minorities in Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Kosovo: a comparative analysis Zan Strabac and Marko Valenta
Part II. Political Engagements and Formations: 4. Ethnic minority parties of Romania Aurel Braun
5. Albanian political parties in Macedonia Zachary T. Irwin
6. The organization and political position of Serbs in Croatia Filip Škiljan
7. For the love of homeland: Croat ethnic party politics in Bosnia-Herzegovina Jelena Suboti?
8. Ethnic minority parties in Montenegro: from marginalisation to integration Kenneth Morrison
9. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms in Bulgaria: beyond the ethnic vote Maria Spirova
10. Bosniak politics in Serbia: the struggle for recognition, emancipation, and historical revisionism Aleksander Zdravkovski
Part III. Ethnic Boundaries and Inclusion and Exclusion of Ethnic Minorities: 11. Hungarian society in Romania: political project and practical reality Irina Culic
12. Minority (Serb) returnees to Croatia: reintegration or new immigration? Milan Mesi? and Dragan Bagi?
13. Nationalizing citizenship: the case of unrecognized ethnic minorities in Slovenia Mojca Pajnik
14. Ethnic boundaries and the position of minority groups in Croatian Istria Marko Valenta, Snježana Gregurovi? and Zan Strabac
15. Ethnic boundaries and politics in Kosovo Fred Cocozzelli
Part IV. Conclusion: 16. Afterword: a few thoughts about autonomy and separatism Sabrina P. Ramet.

Subject Areas: Political parties [JPL], Comparative politics [JPB], Politics & government [JP], Sociology [JHB], Ethnic minorities & multicultural studies [JFSL1], Ethnic studies [JFSL], Social interaction [JFFP], Migration, immigration & emigration [JFFN]