WHAT WE AIM TO DO
PhD program
The integrated PhD program in Geophilosophy of the Balkans, specifically designed by the consortium, promotes the acquisition of theoretical and methodological skills to carry out highly qualified research activities in Universities and public or private organisations in Europe or abroad.
The focus of the research training is the analysis of contemporary political phenomena linked to the Balkans explored from innovative theoretical and methodological perspectives.
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Often referred to as “the suppressed subconscious of Europe” or understood as carrying a burden of history that they are unable to support, the Balkans have a very long political and cultural history made up, not only of wars and nationalisms, as it is unfortunately known, but also of innovations and crossovers between cultures that deserve to be explored further. In the current socio-political scenario, the Balkans are a fundamental territory to understand some of the contemporary European dynamics linked to globalisation and, above all, how these dynamics affect the lives of people considered “peripheral” by the Western world. The aim of the PhD program is to focus on the Balkans in order to bring out some political and social dynamics of the contemporary world and to deconstruct certain orientalist interpretations of the Balkan area that still condition a more complex and articulate understanding of what is happening in Europe.
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Interdisci- plinary vision
Interdisciplinary vision
The program enables the development of specific competencies, but also a solid interdisciplinary vision adequate to deal with the complexity of the contemporary world with a specific focus on the Balkans. These skills will be expendable in the field of basic and applied research in organisational contexts and socio-cultural policy orientation.
The PhD program is divided into four strands of research (Pillars) that students can choose according to their interests and skills:
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- Bodies Politics
- Memory Studies
- Critique of Illiberal Ideologies
- Politics of Border Migration and Communities
International orientation
The PhD program in Geophilosophy of the Balkans has been designed with a strong international orientation. The universities that belong to the consortium are from three different countries that are historically part of the Balkans (Macedonia, Serbia, Greece) and one (Italy) which has always had strong political and cultural relations with the Balkan area. Students’ mobility between universities is therefore compulsory. An important component of the program is the development of critical engagement not only in the fields of knowledge, but also in political activism and institutions that promote plural and democratic societies; hence, students will also have the opportunity to take part in the activities of the Research Centres, non-governmental organisations and cultural associations associated with the consortium.
