Projects

Project: South East European Master Programme in Peace Studies
Status: completed
Level: international
Duration: three years (2011-2014)

In cooperation with the Universities of Basel, Sarajevo and Zagreb, and the Institute for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding (ICP) University of Belgrade has received the friendly support of the Swiss National Science foundation for the development of a South-Eastern-European master programme in peace studies

The master’s program should ultimately be offered in the same form and with compatible curriculums at all participating universities in South East Europe, one specialisation will also be offered in Switzerland.

In the former Yugoslav region, a scientific approach to peace is still at an early stage. Currently individual courses covering peace research as a central topic are offered at the Department of Security and Peace Studies of the Faculty of Political Sciences of Sarajevo University, and an undergraduate course as well as a recently introduced a master’s degree program in Peace Studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences at Belgrade University. With reference to the recent violent past of South Eastern Europe, peace studies, inter-cultural dialogue and nonviolent conflict resolution should be viewed as crucial in teaching and practice. The scientific dimension of peace research would serve as a prerequisite and framework for the development of practical projects and the application of scientific findings on conflict management in the region.

The regional master’s program in peace studies will create conditions to build a network of young professionals and researchers who can collaborate on future regional projects. It would furthermore give incentive to deepen and broaden current cooperation of scientists and NGO representatives working on issues related to peace. In the long term, a regional community of peace researchers will be created, who with their specific knowledge can advance the integration and reconciliation of divided societies in the post-conflict region.

Project Team
Nemanja Džuverović
Radmila Nakarada
Goran Tepšić

Support: Swiss National Science Foundation

Project: Ethnic Stereotypes and National Myths as an Obstacle to Reconciliation: Albanian-Serbian Relations 
Status: completed
Level: regional
Duration: one year (2011)

The main areas of project research are content, structure and functions of ethnic stereotypes and national myths in interethnic Albanian-Serbian relations in Kosovo. Precisely, project intends to examine roles of ethnic stereotypes and national myths as obstacles to reconciliation and forms of (cultural or symbolic) violence. Research sample are relevant Albanian and Serbian history textbooks and national literature textbooks (formal education), as well as weekly and daily newspapers (opinion leaders – informal education). Beside content analysis, focus groups on both sides are organized in order to analyze attitudes towards ethnic stereotypes and myths.

The key tasks of research is to examine the sources of stereotypes and myths reproduction and the possibility of their suppression and change; also to identify the agents of reproduction and agents of change and resistance. The main objectives and goals of our research are:

1. Identification of ethnic stereotypes and national myths (among Albanians and Serbs) that are discriminative towards Albanian/Serbian ethnic group;
2. Identification of the sources of their production and reproduction;
3. Location of agents that spread and reproduce stereotypes and also location of potential agents of resistance and change;
4. Identification of the conflict potential of these stereotypes and myths;
5. Public presentation of the research results through on-line and printed presentations and scientific conferences.
6. Creation of a model of problem-solving workshops based on the results of this research that would encourage cultural exchange and dialogue between Albanians and Serbs and contribute to the reconciliation process in this divided community.

More informations about the project available at:
www.nationalmyths.com

Project team
Goran Tepšić
Radmila Nakarada
Mirjana Vasović
Nevena Kostadinović
Renata Eremić
Mladen Stojadinović
Vujo Ilić
Nemanja Džuverović

Support: Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies