The geography of nationalisms and human security in the pre-Communist Balkan space

Abstract

This paper analyses how new concepts of human security or civil liberties that were institutionalized by the 1948 UN declaration of human rights could apply to the pre-Communist Balkan territory, a region that has traditionally shaped its reputation as realm of ethnic conflicts as well as of political and economic backwardness. The paper examines whether concepts of human security that could be traced to the Enlightenment are applicable or not to the Balkan nation-states. It specifically tackles the issues of the nature of Balkan nationalisms, the role of religion in the demarcation of ethnic lines and the enhancement of human security, as well as the role of boundaries and ethnic un-mixing of populations in safeguarding the human security of natives and refugees in the area before the rise of communism.

Keywords:

• human security
• nationalism
• Balkans
• religion
• Enlightenment