Održano predavanje Marije Todorove „Kako pristopiti k raziskovanju Balkana? / Do the Balkans need their own epistemology?“ u Ljubljani
13. 1. 2026 ob 17.00
Lokacija dogodka: Fakulteta za družbene vede UL, Kardeljeva ploščad 5, 1000 Ljubljana
Na predavanju bo predavateljica obravnavala nekatere trende s področja izbire pojmovnega aparata v sodobnih balkanskih študijah. Raziskovalci, ki se ukvarjajo z Balkanom, pri raziskovanju namreč pogosto črpajo iz vplivnih diskurzov in kategorij s sosednjih področij in disciplin, pri čemer so nekateri izrazi koncepti primernejši, nekateri pa manj oziroma so celo problematični.
V predavanju bo prof. dr. Maria Todorova obravnavala dva vplivna, a metodološko sporna trenda v sodobnih balkanskih študijah. Najprej bo osvetlila, kako pristopiti k pojmoma »imperij« in »kolonializem« ter njunim izpeljankam, kot so: postkolonialno, postkolonialnost, neokolonialno, kvazikolonialno, dekolonizacija, transkolonialnost, imperializem, imperialnost, medimperialnost itd. Posebej se bo posvetila vsesplošni rabi in funkciji pojma dekolonialnosti, ki je v zadnjem času postal vseprisoten. V nadaljevanju bo analizirala uporabo pojma »rasa« in teorij rase na Balkanu ter polemike, ki jih je ta pristop sprožil. V tem kontekstu bo zagovarjala premišljeno uporabo koncepta »rasizacije«, kot ga je v drugačnem okolju teoretsko oblikoval Loïc Wacquant.
Prof. dr. Maria Todorova je ugledna zgodovinarka in profesorica zgodovine, najbolj znana po svojem prelomnem delu o balkanskem zgodovinopisju in identiteti. Rodila se je v Bolgariji, doktorirala na Univerzi v Sofiji, pozneje pa se je uveljavila na mednarodni akademski sceni in zasedala mesta na vodilnih univerzah, med drugim na Univerzi Illinois v Urbana-Champaignu. Todorova v svojem najvplivnejšem delu Imagining the Balkans (1997) kritično preučuje zahodno dojemanje Balkana; delo je postalo temeljno besedilo postkolonialnih študij in študij jugovzhodne Evrope. Njene raziskave se osredotočajo na nacionalizem, zgodovinski spomin in politiko reprezentacije v regiji ter pomembno prispevajo k interdisciplinarnim razpravam o identiteti in kulturni zgodovini.
Odprto predavanje je del cikla mednarodnih gostovanj na doktorskem programu, kjer izbrani strokovnjaki predstavljajo aktualne raziskovalne tematike s področja teorij družbe.
Do the Balkans need their own epistemology?
One of the most prominent methodological issues is the conceptual apparatus we use. Balkan scholars are informed and borrow highly influential discourses and categories from adjacent areas and disciplines. Some of these categories are, in my opinion, appropriate, like empire and imperiality, marginalization and peripherality, scale, power, dependence, entanglement, and so on. Others I deem less appropriate or not at all, and in this lecture I want to address two problematic trends that have been influential lately in Balkan studies. First, I seek to contextualize the different approaches around “empire” and “colonialism” and the usages of their derivatives, like postcolonial, postcoloniality, neocolonial, quasi-colonial, decolonization, transcoloniality, as well as imperialism, imperiality, inter-imperiality, etc. Special attention will be paid to the ubiquitousness and functions of the concept of decoloniality. Secondly, I will focus on the employment of the category “race” and race theory to the Balkans, and the controversies this has generated. I will argue for the felicitous deployment of “racialization”, as theorized in a different context by Loïc Wacquant. Finally, going back to the question posed in the title, I address the antinomy of distinctiveness/uniqueness versus universalism and whether to approach the Balkans as part of a universal, if not entirely homogenizing and singular modernity, or in terms of alternative or multiple modernities.
Reading:
Wacquant, L. (2022). Resolving the trouble with “race”. New Left Review, (133/134), 69–88.
Maria Todorova is a prominent historian and professor of history, best known for her groundbreaking work on Balkan historiography and identity. Born in Bulgaria, she earned her PhD from Sofia University and later established an international academic presence, holding positions at leading universities including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Todorova’s most influential work, Imagining the Balkans (1997), critically examines Western perceptions of the Balkans and has become a foundational text in postcolonial and Southeast European studies. Her research explores nationalism, historical memory, and the politics of representation in the region, contributing significantly to interdisciplinary debates on identity and cultural history. Todorova has received numerous academic honours and fellowships, reflecting her international impact. In addition to her scholarly work, she actively mentors young researchers and promotes cross-cultural dialogue. Her contributions continue to shape global understandings of Southeast Europe’s past and its place in the modern world.