Balkan Futures – a co-initiative of the British Institute at Ankara, the British School at Athens, and the École française d’Athènes – is an international network which supports original research by a new generation of scholars in the field of Balkan regional studies.

Balkan Futures examines inter-regional development and cooperation in Southeast Europe in a period of crisis rather than consolidation in the EU. Through assessment of the processes and trajectories of regional interaction and development over the past 10-20 years, the project aims to define potential areas for future policy-making and research. A particular focus is Balkan perceptions of the region, examining how these have changed since the collapse of Communism. The increasing relevance of the EU vis-à-vis the development of internal state structures and institutions will be assessed, as will inter-state relations and the management of trans-boundary issues. In the current atmosphere of political and economic crisis within the EU, it is of interest to consider constructions of identity and self-image given the apparent rise of nationalism and the political right in many states in the region. The project encompasses a more specific focus on Greece and Turkey, examining their roles and aspirations in a region of which they form a key part, and their bilateral relations which historically have played a major part in shaping Balkan identities.

Principal Investigators:

Dr Marc Herzog (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.),

Dr Ozge Dilaver Kalkan (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), 

Professor Maria Couroucli (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.),

Dr Tchavdar Marinov (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.),

Professor Catherine Morgan (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).