Call for papers - The Balkans in the New Millennium: From Balkanization to EUtopia

Conference venue: Tetovo, Macedonia
Period: June 20-22, 2014
Deadline for submitting abstracts: March 30, 2014
Deadline for submitting full papers: July 30, 2014.

“The best way to predict your future is to create it!” (Abraham Lincoln)

Balkan is a space of intersection or a place where east meets west, a space of multiculturalism, multi-ethnicity, multi-religiosity, but at the same time, a world of the tragic histories, metaphor of permanent misunderstandings, uncertainties, deconstruction and shattering tendencies. It is a part of Europe that in recent decades faces a series of problems caused by the negative perception of otherness, of stereotypes, and maybe by the new climate created by ethnocentric aspirations and worldview. The Balkans is still considered as non-Europianized geography of the old continent, as pre-modern Europe or a polyvalent entity that requires a prescription for long and lasting peace and eudaimonia.

The new millennium as a new stage of human and social development, which represents the beginning of a new period of sociological and anthropological changes perspective aiming at bringing innovations, a new chapter, which should be better than the past, different from the regional fragmentation that engendered the term “Balkanization” and Homo Balkanicus. In this context, this conference will treat the Balkans in correlation with a neologism, Utopia, acountry of ideal felicity and perfection, a place in which human society, natural conditions, etc., are ideally shaped in order to have a complete contentment. Also, it is aplace where the organizational structure, fosters a limited governmental involvement, which permits human creativity and achievement. Where prosperity does not have to be forced, it just happens (D. Hager). So, today in the aftermath of the bloody century, the questions are whether the Balkans are heading towards Eutopia, prosperous Europe or kakostopia (worst place)? Are we going to Europeanize ourselves or to balkanize the Europe? Are we on the right track and ready to Debalkanise the Balkans? Are the euro-integration processes bringing real changes, which are only formal, without any essence? What are the conditions needed for moving forward, towards the first stratum Europe?

One of the duties of sociology is to produce theories, which would bring social changes as well. Unfortunately, the sociology as society-building tool in our context has not achieved its specific goals and physiognomy, but for known reasons has ideologised science paradigm. Now, it is the time for us to give a new approach to whole sociological dynamics and agenda, give a new spirit and stimuli for real-scientific and objective interpretation of developments of the society.

The questions that can be posed in this context are as follows:

The main objective of the Third Annual Conference of BSF is to explore the new trends, tendencies and perspectives in the beginning of the Third Millennium in the Balkan area, a contribution via scientific logos to the society-building at this ignominian lebenswelt. Other Key Topics:

The triangle Balkan Sociological Forum, SEE University and Institute for Sociological and Juridical Issues invite researchers and scholars of sociology and other human sciences from the all Balkan countries and others to take part in the Third Conference of Balkan Sociological Forum.
Please sent your proposals-abstracts until 30 march 2014. The abstracts are limited for 300 words, including standard remarks as name, surname, position, institution, main text, five to seven keywords and e-mail address.
Deadline for confirmation of accepted abstracts: April 20, 2014.
Adress for abstracts submission: a.pajaziti@seeu.edu.mk,h.jashari@seeu.edu.mk, j.abdullai@seeu.edu.mk, jakjor@isppi.edu.mk
Full paper submission deadline: July 30, 2014.
Participation fee: 40 €
The abstracts that receive the approval of the organizers shall be published in the abstract brochure of the Conference.
The full papers after the peer review process will be published in the conference proceedings.
The authors are requested to use in their papers APA style of citation.

SEE University
e-mail: a.pajaziti@seeu.edu.mk,h.jashari@seeu.edu.mk, j.abdullai@seeu.edu.mk, jakjor@isppi.edu.mk