YugoLab brings together researchers from various disciplinary fields, who are engaged in (post) Yugoslav studies, democratic socialism, and contemporary identity politics. YugoLab strongly advocates for the social engagement of researchers through media involvement, participation in public debates and forums, and working groups focusing on public policies. Members of YugoLab believe that scientific research and professional knowledge should contribute to creating a fairer and more solidary society, while also addressing inequality and discrimination.

EVENTS

No event found!

All events

NEWS

PUBLICATIONS

Između verije i nacije: pokret Mladi muslimani 1939–1990 (2025)

Revival of the Left in the Balkans: Counter-Hegemonic Activism and Ideas That Fueled It? (2024)

Sva naša (ne)razumevanja. Francuski intelektualci i ratovi za jugoslovensko nasleđe (1991–1999) (2023)

Ideja moderne Srbije u socijalističkoj Jugoslaviji (2022)

Members of YugoLab are actively involved in scientific research, publishing and presenting scientific results, as well as in public engagement, such as media, public forums, panel discussions, or debates on relevant social topics. Members of YugoLab particularly focus on three thematic areas: 1) (Post) Yugoslav studies; 2) Democratic socialism; 3) Identity politics.

 

1) (Post) Yugoslav studies

YugoLab’s (Post) Yugoslav studies concentrate on the cultural, political, and social dimensions of Yugoslavia and its heritage, aiming to illuminate the complexities of the Yugoslav experience and its enduring impact on contemporary social structures. The empirical research is interdisciplinary, employing theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches from the humanities and social sciences. YugoLab initiated a series of regional dialogues beginning in 2022.

 

2) Democratic socialism

YugoLab examines democratic socialism, exploring how the ideals of social justice, solidarity, and economic equality can be harmonized with institutions and practices grounded in participatory democracy, freedom, and political pluralism. The conference “Democratic Socialism: Yugoslav experience and contemporary reflections” along with the special issue of the journal Philosophy and Society (34 (4), 2023) titled “Democratic Socialism’ Reassessed: Insights from Yugoslavia’s Experience to Global Trends” (edited by Ivica Mladenović and Petar Žarković) summarize our most significant insights on democratic socialism.

 

3) Identity politics

YugoLab begins with the understanding that identities are complex and dynamic, with individuals experiencing identification with multiple (imagined) communities, such as country, nation, region, homeland, religion, gender, sexuality, class, language, culture, and profession. These identities may overlap, intersect, and sometimes be exclusive. Identity politics emerge from both top-down and bottom-up processes, influencing each other. Therefore, we investigate the (dis)continuities and mutual correlations of various identifications, as well as their relationship towards society, ideology and power. YugoLab leads the project “Imagining the Nation: Contesting Serbian National Narratives (XX-XXI century)” coordinated by Milivoj Bešlin and funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia through the Prisma Program (2024-2027).

Conference

Courses

Lectures

Book seminars

Coordinator:

Deputy Coordinator:

Secretaries:

Members:

External associates:

Božić Marko (Faculty of Law, Union University)
Čakardić Ankica (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb)
Đureinović Jelena (University of Vienna)
Gužvica Stefan (National Research University Higher School of Economics, Sankt-Petersburg)
Hasanović Jasmin (Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Sarajevo)
Jakovina Tvrtko (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb)
Kamberović Husnija (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo)
Kirn Gal (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Ljubljana)
Klasić Hrvoje (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb)
Marković Dušan (Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade)
Marković Goran (Faculty of Law, University of East Sarajevo)
Miletić Aleksandar R. (Institute for Recent History of Serbia, Belgrade)
Milošević Srđan (Faculty of Law, Union University)
Pantelić Ivana (Institute of Contemporary History, Belgrade)
Prekić Adnan (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Montenegro)
Radović Srđan (Institute of Ethnography, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade)
Stanić Veljko (Sorbonne University – PhD student)
Stefanov Nenad (Humboldt University of Berlin)
Štiks Igor (Faculty of Media and Communications, Singidunum University, Belgrade)
Todorov Petar (Institute of National History, The Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje)
Velikonja Mitja (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Ljubljana)
Vida Knežević (independent research fellow)

Shared Future: Youth for Inclusive and Dialogic Remembrance  

The project “Shared Future: Youth for Inclusive and Dialogic Remembrance” (1/12/2025 – 30/06/2026) of the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory, with the support of the British Council, aims to encourage dialogue about the past through education in cultural memory and field research on oral histories. The project collects personal stories and visual materials through a regional network of students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, and Serbia. The main results are the Digital Archive “Remembrance through Inclusion and Dialogue” (SID-ARH IFDT) and the Exhibition of Student Works, which will be presented during the Summer School in Novi Pazar

Tuesday, 3. February 2026.
Visit of Keio University Students from Japan to the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory

Visit of Keio University Students from Japan to the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory

Students from the Faculty of Law at Keio University in Japan, as part of their study trip through Central and Eastern Europe “Exploring the Transmission of Conflict Memories to Post-war Generations”, visited on September 8th the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory. On this occasion, they met with the institute’s research team – Dr. Rodoljub…

Monday, 15. September 2025.
This project investigates the role of literary fiction in shaping collective memories of the 1990s among young readers in Serbia, focusing on youth born after 2000 who lack personal memories of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo.

Fiction as Memory Work: Youth Engagement with Yugoslav Wars Through Literary Fiction

This project investigates the role of literary fiction in shaping collective memories of the 1990s among young readers in Serbia, focusing on youth born after 2000 who lack personal memories of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo.

Friday, 12. September 2025.
Within our research, we will utilize Gramsci's

Imagining a Nation: The Contesting Serbian National Narratives (XX – XXI centuries)

Within our research, we will utilize Gramsci’s “cultural hegemony” theory, which examines how the dominant class establishes social consensus and imposes its ideological “common sense.”

Monday, 12. February 2024.
This scientific collaboration project brings together a group of young researchers based in Austria and Serbia who collaborate in their respective fields and disciplines to map the most recent overview of scientific literature related to the modern social and political history of Vojvodina, from its inclusion in the Habsburg Monarchy to the dissolution of the federative Yugoslav state.

Project of scientific-technological cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Austria “Vojvodina: Towards a Modern Social and Political History”

This scientific collaboration project brings together a group of young researchers based in Austria and Serbia who collaborate in their respective fields and disciplines to map the most recent overview of scientific literature related to the modern social and political history of Vojvodina, from its inclusion in the Habsburg Monarchy to the dissolution of the federative Yugoslav state.

Tuesday, 21. November 2023.
IFDT is implementing the project “Distributed Archiving at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT)” Funded by Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web, the project aims to collect, digitize, preserve, interpret, and distribute information related to cultural heritage that various political and cultural authorities have treated as “undesirable” or “unworthy” of support.

Distributed Archiving at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT)

IFDT is implementing the project “Distributed Archiving at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT)” Funded by Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web, the project aims to collect, digitize, preserve, interpret, and distribute information related to cultural heritage that various political and cultural authorities have treated as “undesirable” or “unworthy” of support.

Friday, 3. March 2023.
The goal of this project is to research and compare the effectiveness of two national councils of national minorities (Hungarian and Albanian) in protecting their minority rights in Serbia by analyzing relevant legal framework and conducting online and/or face-to-face interviews with Albanian and Hungarian NC representatives. 

Using Your Rights: Improving Serbian Minorities’ Position by Empowering Their National Councils

The goal of this project is to research and compare the effectiveness of two national councils of national minorities (Hungarian and Albanian) in protecting their minority rights in Serbia by analyzing relevant legal framework and conducting online and/or face-to-face interviews with Albanian and Hungarian NC representatives. 

Monday, 24. October 2022.
Project Perpetual Peace and Social Justice in the Balkans is envisaged as the beginning of a longer initiative launched by the “Musine Kokalari” Institute from Prishtina and Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory – University of Belgrade.

Perpetual Peace and Social Justice in the Balkans

Project Perpetual Peace and Social Justice in the Balkans is envisaged as the beginning of a longer initiative launched by the “Musine Kokalari” Institute from Prishtina and Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory – University of Belgrade.

Thursday, 28. April 2022.
During the project, the website will amount to some 1500 posts and include a massive internet database offering textual, documentary and visual knowledge on Serbian-Albanian relations.

Advancing Serbian-Albanian Friendship: Making Available Joint Educative and Reconciliatory Content via Multilingual Portal

During the project, the website will amount to some 1500 posts and include a massive internet database offering textual, documentary and visual knowledge on Serbian-Albanian relations.

Thursday, 28. April 2022.
The project will focus on the multiethnic, multilingual and multiconfessional character of the region, with special attention to the role of diversity in Novi Sad.

Multiculturality of Novi Sad – national communities in Vojvodina

The project will focus on the multiethnic, multilingual and multiconfessional character of the region, with special attention to the role of diversity in Novi Sad.

Thursday, 28. October 2021.
This project will explore the main features of political ideology and activities of the Serbian right wing from the assassination of King Alexander in October 1934 to Yugoslavia’s involvement in WW2

The Serbian right wing movements, parties and individuals in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, 1935-1941

This project will explore the main features of political ideology and activities of the Serbian right wing from the assassination of King Alexander in October 1934 to Yugoslavia’s involvement in WW2

Thursday, 2. July 2020.
Particularly focuses on NTA arrangements for reducing inter-ethnic tensions within a state and on the accommodation of the needs of different communities while preventing calls to separate statehood.

ENTAN –the European Non-Territorial Autonomy Network

Particularly focuses on NTA arrangements for reducing inter-ethnic tensions within a state and on the accommodation of the needs of different communities while preventing calls to separate statehood.

Friday, 24. May 2019.
The project aims at reducing hostility and conflicts between Serbs and Albanians by promoting true, positive stories about examples of Serbian-Albanian friendship and/or persons that acted as bridges among the two nations in the past and recent times.

Beyond Enmity: Changing Serbian-Albanian Perceptions

The project aims at reducing hostility and conflicts between Serbs and Albanians by promoting true, positive stories about examples of Serbian-Albanian friendship and/or persons that acted as bridges among the two nations in the past and recent times.

Thursday, 14. December 2017.
Projekat Spinning out of control: rhetoric and violent conflict. Representations of ‘self ’ – ‘other’ in the Yugoslav successor states realizovan je u saradnji s Katedrom za književnost,

Spinning Out of Control: Rhetoric and Violent Conflict. Representations of ‘self’ – ‘other’ in the Yugoslav Successor States

Projekat Spinning out of control: rhetoric and violent conflict. Representations of ‘self ’ – ‘other’ in the Yugoslav successor states realizovan je u saradnji s Katedrom za književnost,

Thursday, 10. August 2017.

Workshop “Balkan Talks on War and Peace”, Organization and moderation, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory University Belgrade, supported by S. Fischer Stiftung, Belgrade, CZKD, 2–3.10.2023,

EVENTS

EVENTS

No event found!

All events

NEWS

PUBLICATIONS

Između verije i nacije: pokret Mladi muslimani 1939–1990 (2025)

Revival of the Left in the Balkans: Counter-Hegemonic Activism and Ideas That Fueled It? (2024)

Sva naša (ne)razumevanja. Francuski intelektualci i ratovi za jugoslovensko nasleđe (1991–1999) (2023)

Ideja moderne Srbije u socijalističkoj Jugoslaviji (2022)

ABOUT

Members of YugoLab are actively involved in scientific research, publishing and presenting scientific results, as well as in public engagement, such as media, public forums, panel discussions, or debates on relevant social topics. Members of YugoLab particularly focus on three thematic areas: 1) (Post) Yugoslav studies; 2) Democratic socialism; 3) Identity politics.

 

1) (Post) Yugoslav studies

YugoLab’s (Post) Yugoslav studies concentrate on the cultural, political, and social dimensions of Yugoslavia and its heritage, aiming to illuminate the complexities of the Yugoslav experience and its enduring impact on contemporary social structures. The empirical research is interdisciplinary, employing theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches from the humanities and social sciences. YugoLab initiated a series of regional dialogues beginning in 2022.

 

2) Democratic socialism

YugoLab examines democratic socialism, exploring how the ideals of social justice, solidarity, and economic equality can be harmonized with institutions and practices grounded in participatory democracy, freedom, and political pluralism. The conference “Democratic Socialism: Yugoslav experience and contemporary reflections” along with the special issue of the journal Philosophy and Society (34 (4), 2023) titled “Democratic Socialism’ Reassessed: Insights from Yugoslavia’s Experience to Global Trends” (edited by Ivica Mladenović and Petar Žarković) summarize our most significant insights on democratic socialism.

 

3) Identity politics

YugoLab begins with the understanding that identities are complex and dynamic, with individuals experiencing identification with multiple (imagined) communities, such as country, nation, region, homeland, religion, gender, sexuality, class, language, culture, and profession. These identities may overlap, intersect, and sometimes be exclusive. Identity politics emerge from both top-down and bottom-up processes, influencing each other. Therefore, we investigate the (dis)continuities and mutual correlations of various identifications, as well as their relationship towards society, ideology and power. YugoLab leads the project “Imagining the Nation: Contesting Serbian National Narratives (XX-XXI century)” coordinated by Milivoj Bešlin and funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia through the Prisma Program (2024-2027).

ACTIVITIES

Conference

Courses

Lectures

Book seminars

MEMBERS

Coordinator:

Deputy Coordinator:

Secretaries:

Members:

External associates:

Božić Marko (Faculty of Law, Union University)
Čakardić Ankica (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb)
Đureinović Jelena (University of Vienna)
Gužvica Stefan (National Research University Higher School of Economics, Sankt-Petersburg)
Hasanović Jasmin (Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Sarajevo)
Jakovina Tvrtko (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb)
Kamberović Husnija (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo)
Kirn Gal (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Ljubljana)
Klasić Hrvoje (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb)
Marković Dušan (Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade)
Marković Goran (Faculty of Law, University of East Sarajevo)
Miletić Aleksandar R. (Institute for Recent History of Serbia, Belgrade)
Milošević Srđan (Faculty of Law, Union University)
Pantelić Ivana (Institute of Contemporary History, Belgrade)
Prekić Adnan (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Montenegro)
Radović Srđan (Institute of Ethnography, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade)
Stanić Veljko (Sorbonne University – PhD student)
Stefanov Nenad (Humboldt University of Berlin)
Štiks Igor (Faculty of Media and Communications, Singidunum University, Belgrade)
Todorov Petar (Institute of National History, The Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje)
Velikonja Mitja (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Ljubljana)
Vida Knežević (independent research fellow)
PUBLICATIONS
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
PROJECTS

Shared Future: Youth for Inclusive and Dialogic Remembrance  

The project “Shared Future: Youth for Inclusive and Dialogic Remembrance” (1/12/2025 – 30/06/2026) of the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory, with the support of the British Council, aims to encourage dialogue about the past through education in cultural memory and field research on oral histories. The project collects personal stories and visual materials through a regional network of students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, and Serbia. The main results are the Digital Archive “Remembrance through Inclusion and Dialogue” (SID-ARH IFDT) and the Exhibition of Student Works, which will be presented during the Summer School in Novi Pazar

Tuesday, 3. February 2026.
Visit of Keio University Students from Japan to the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory

Visit of Keio University Students from Japan to the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory

Students from the Faculty of Law at Keio University in Japan, as part of their study trip through Central and Eastern Europe “Exploring the Transmission of Conflict Memories to Post-war Generations”, visited on September 8th the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory. On this occasion, they met with the institute’s research team – Dr. Rodoljub…

Monday, 15. September 2025.
This project investigates the role of literary fiction in shaping collective memories of the 1990s among young readers in Serbia, focusing on youth born after 2000 who lack personal memories of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo.

Fiction as Memory Work: Youth Engagement with Yugoslav Wars Through Literary Fiction

This project investigates the role of literary fiction in shaping collective memories of the 1990s among young readers in Serbia, focusing on youth born after 2000 who lack personal memories of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo.

Friday, 12. September 2025.
Within our research, we will utilize Gramsci's

Imagining a Nation: The Contesting Serbian National Narratives (XX – XXI centuries)

Within our research, we will utilize Gramsci’s “cultural hegemony” theory, which examines how the dominant class establishes social consensus and imposes its ideological “common sense.”

Monday, 12. February 2024.
This scientific collaboration project brings together a group of young researchers based in Austria and Serbia who collaborate in their respective fields and disciplines to map the most recent overview of scientific literature related to the modern social and political history of Vojvodina, from its inclusion in the Habsburg Monarchy to the dissolution of the federative Yugoslav state.

Project of scientific-technological cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Austria “Vojvodina: Towards a Modern Social and Political History”

This scientific collaboration project brings together a group of young researchers based in Austria and Serbia who collaborate in their respective fields and disciplines to map the most recent overview of scientific literature related to the modern social and political history of Vojvodina, from its inclusion in the Habsburg Monarchy to the dissolution of the federative Yugoslav state.

Tuesday, 21. November 2023.
IFDT is implementing the project “Distributed Archiving at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT)” Funded by Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web, the project aims to collect, digitize, preserve, interpret, and distribute information related to cultural heritage that various political and cultural authorities have treated as “undesirable” or “unworthy” of support.

Distributed Archiving at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT)

IFDT is implementing the project “Distributed Archiving at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT)” Funded by Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web, the project aims to collect, digitize, preserve, interpret, and distribute information related to cultural heritage that various political and cultural authorities have treated as “undesirable” or “unworthy” of support.

Friday, 3. March 2023.
The goal of this project is to research and compare the effectiveness of two national councils of national minorities (Hungarian and Albanian) in protecting their minority rights in Serbia by analyzing relevant legal framework and conducting online and/or face-to-face interviews with Albanian and Hungarian NC representatives. 

Using Your Rights: Improving Serbian Minorities’ Position by Empowering Their National Councils

The goal of this project is to research and compare the effectiveness of two national councils of national minorities (Hungarian and Albanian) in protecting their minority rights in Serbia by analyzing relevant legal framework and conducting online and/or face-to-face interviews with Albanian and Hungarian NC representatives. 

Monday, 24. October 2022.
Project Perpetual Peace and Social Justice in the Balkans is envisaged as the beginning of a longer initiative launched by the “Musine Kokalari” Institute from Prishtina and Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory – University of Belgrade.

Perpetual Peace and Social Justice in the Balkans

Project Perpetual Peace and Social Justice in the Balkans is envisaged as the beginning of a longer initiative launched by the “Musine Kokalari” Institute from Prishtina and Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory – University of Belgrade.

Thursday, 28. April 2022.
During the project, the website will amount to some 1500 posts and include a massive internet database offering textual, documentary and visual knowledge on Serbian-Albanian relations.

Advancing Serbian-Albanian Friendship: Making Available Joint Educative and Reconciliatory Content via Multilingual Portal

During the project, the website will amount to some 1500 posts and include a massive internet database offering textual, documentary and visual knowledge on Serbian-Albanian relations.

Thursday, 28. April 2022.
The project will focus on the multiethnic, multilingual and multiconfessional character of the region, with special attention to the role of diversity in Novi Sad.

Multiculturality of Novi Sad – national communities in Vojvodina

The project will focus on the multiethnic, multilingual and multiconfessional character of the region, with special attention to the role of diversity in Novi Sad.

Thursday, 28. October 2021.
This project will explore the main features of political ideology and activities of the Serbian right wing from the assassination of King Alexander in October 1934 to Yugoslavia’s involvement in WW2

The Serbian right wing movements, parties and individuals in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, 1935-1941

This project will explore the main features of political ideology and activities of the Serbian right wing from the assassination of King Alexander in October 1934 to Yugoslavia’s involvement in WW2

Thursday, 2. July 2020.
Particularly focuses on NTA arrangements for reducing inter-ethnic tensions within a state and on the accommodation of the needs of different communities while preventing calls to separate statehood.

ENTAN –the European Non-Territorial Autonomy Network

Particularly focuses on NTA arrangements for reducing inter-ethnic tensions within a state and on the accommodation of the needs of different communities while preventing calls to separate statehood.

Friday, 24. May 2019.
The project aims at reducing hostility and conflicts between Serbs and Albanians by promoting true, positive stories about examples of Serbian-Albanian friendship and/or persons that acted as bridges among the two nations in the past and recent times.

Beyond Enmity: Changing Serbian-Albanian Perceptions

The project aims at reducing hostility and conflicts between Serbs and Albanians by promoting true, positive stories about examples of Serbian-Albanian friendship and/or persons that acted as bridges among the two nations in the past and recent times.

Thursday, 14. December 2017.
Projekat Spinning out of control: rhetoric and violent conflict. Representations of ‘self ’ – ‘other’ in the Yugoslav successor states realizovan je u saradnji s Katedrom za književnost,

Spinning Out of Control: Rhetoric and Violent Conflict. Representations of ‘self’ – ‘other’ in the Yugoslav Successor States

Projekat Spinning out of control: rhetoric and violent conflict. Representations of ‘self ’ – ‘other’ in the Yugoslav successor states realizovan je u saradnji s Katedrom za književnost,

Thursday, 10. August 2017.
VIDEOS

Workshop “Balkan Talks on War and Peace”, Organization and moderation, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory University Belgrade, supported by S. Fischer Stiftung, Belgrade, CZKD, 2–3.10.2023,