7th INTERNATIONAL BALKAN SUMMER SCHOOL
Contemporary Challenges in Balkans:
EU and Migration
July 14-19, 2025
Skopje, North Macedonia
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Important Dates
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Topics
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About the Summer School
The International Balkan Summer School, titled “Contemporary Challenges in the Balkans: EU & Migration Issues,” offers an intellectually stimulating and immersive platform designed specifically for postgraduate students and emerging scholars. This program delves deeply into critical, contemporary issues that shape the social, legal, political, and economic landscape of the Balkans, with a particular focus on the intricate interplay between migration dynamics and the European Union’s evolving role in the region. By addressing these pressing challenges, the summer school provides participants with a unique opportunity to engage in thought-provoking discussions that are grounded in both theoretical frameworks and real-world case studies. The program is meticulously tailored to cater to an academically inclined audience, fostering a vibrant environment of robust scholarly discourse. Through interdisciplinary approaches, it encourages participants to examine complex migration patterns, regional policies, and the EU’s influence on governance, integration, and security within the Balkans. In addition to structured lectures and seminars delivered by leading experts in the field, the summer school includes workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, further enhancing the academic and professional growth of its attendees. By offering a platform to explore the historical, geopolitical, and cultural nuances of migration and EU relations in the Balkans, the program equips students with a comprehensive understanding of the region’s challenges and their global implications.
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Program Highlights
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Target Audience
This program is specifically designed for postgraduate students pursuing advanced research in disciplines such as political science, international relations, sociology, and European studies. Participants are expected to bring a strong academic background and a passion for contributing to meaningful discourse on the region’s pressing issues. By joining this summer school, participants will gain invaluable insights, establish scholarly networks, and contribute to a deeper understanding of the Balkan region’s contemporary challenges in a global context.
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Application and Review Process
Participants are required to submit an article addressing the summer school’s thematic focus. All submissions undergo a rigorous blind peer review process to ensure the highest academic standards. Abstracts and full texts are evaluated by field experts, and only those meeting the established criteria are accepted. This process underscores the school’s commitment to fostering excellence and originality in academic inquiry. The papers chosen at the end of the Summer School will be published by the Balkan Studies Foundation in order to admit the presentations taking place at the Summer School to the scientific world
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Honorary Board of the Summer School
Balkan Studies Foundation President Dr. Sevba Abdula
South East European University Rector Prof. Dr. Abdylmenaf Bexheti
Oranje Institute President, Dr. Ali Eşlik
Ankara Center for Thought and Research, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bulut
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Organizing Institutions
Balkan Studies Foundation, North Macedonia
South East European University, North Macedonia
HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungary
Oranje Institute, Netherlands Ankara Center for Thought and Research, Türkiye
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Organizing Committee
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bujamin Bela – Mother Teresa University, North Macedonia (Chairman of the Board)
Dr. Sevba Abdula – Balkan Studies Foundation, North Macedonia
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Admir Mulaosmanovic – Balikesir University, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cem Korkut, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazit University, Türkiye
Assist. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Köroğlu, Istanbul University, Türkiye
Dr. Ferto Imre, HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungary
Dr. Ali Eşlik – Oranje Institute, Netherland
Dr. Mustafa Işık, Bulgaria
Elif R. Nazim, Balkan Studies Foundation, North Macedonia
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Secretariat
Berat Alili, Balkan Studies Foundation, North Macedonia
Hanife Etem, Balkan Studies Foundation, North Macedonia
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Scientific Committee of the Summer School
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bulut, Istanbul Zaim University, Türkiye
Prof. Dr. Viktoria Kafedziska, International Balkan University, North Macedonia
Prof. Dr. Kire Sharlamanov, International Balkan University, North Macedonia
Prof. Dr. Bejtulla Demiri, International Balkan University, North Macedonia
Assoc. Prof. Ali Erken, Marmara University, Türkiye
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mevludin Ibishi, International Balkan University, North Macedonia
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Neritan Turkesh, Mother Teresa University, North Macedonia
Assist. Prof. Dr. Sedad Beslija, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Assist. Prof. Dr. Elmin Alijev, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Azerbaijan
Assist. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Uğur Ekinci, SETA, Türkiye
Assist. Prof. Dr. Bujamin Bela, Mother Teresa University, North Macedonia
Assist. Prof. Dr. Murat Aliu, Mother Teresa University, North Macedonia
Assist. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Güder, Istanbul University, Türkiye
Assist. Prof. Dr. Kadir Temiz, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Türkiye
Assist. Prof. Dr. Drita Memedi, State University of Tetovo, North Macedonia
Assist. Prof. Dr. Besa Sejdiu, South East European University, North Macedonia
Assist. Prof. Dr. Sanja Adzaip Velickovska, International Balkan University, North Macedonia
Assist. Prof. Dr. Ramazan Turgut – Oranje Institute, Netherland
Assist. Prof. Dr. Natalija Shikova, International Balkan University, North Macedonia
Assist. Prof. Dr. Nikola Dacev, International Balkan University, North Macedonia
Assist. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Muhsin Yıldız, Yalova University, Türkiye
Dr. Muhammed Jashari, Balkan Studies Foundation, North Macedonia
Assoc. Dr. Elisabeta Bajrami Ollogu, Mother Teresa University, North Macedonia
Manuscripts submitted to the International Balkan Summer School (the full text of the paper) must not have been previously published nor currently presented for publication anywhere.
Abstracts must be in English and submitted to https://forms.gle/K3qvpqYqVGh5E7GTA Google form and and must be between 250 and 350 words in length. The full text should contain no information about the author anywhere. If any information is found in the full text that would identify the author, the text will be eliminated without being subjected to peer review as it does not comply with the blind review policies of the Balkan Studies Foundation.
The study should contain between 4,000 to 8,000 words.
The full text must be submitted in Microsoft Word format by June 01, 2025. Texts uploaded in PDF format will not be accepted.
Full texts not prepared in accordance with the Rules of Writing of the IBSS will be rejected without being sent to the reviewers.
The articles to be submitted to the IBSS should be written in The Microsoft Word program with at least 2.5 cm margins, and the entire text should be written in Times New Roman font, font size has to be 12 and 1.5 line spacing. The name of the article should be written in capital letters, bold font and size 14, while the subtitles should be written in lowercase font and size 12.
In the articles, after the name of the author, in the footnote with an asterisk (*) symbol, the title of the author, the university/department and the mail address must be written in full.
Tables and tables should be numbered sequentially. Footnotes for tables should be added just below the table body and should be indicated in lowercase. Care should be taken to use as few tables as possible. The data presented in the tables should be avoided to match the data presented in the text.
Footnotes, abstracts, bibliographies, tables, etc. should be completed before the article is delivered.
In the introduction part of the article, the subject, thematic, temporal and spatial boundaries of the article should be specified. Also, it should include information such as the importance of the article, the space it fills in the field, the new perspective it brings, and the information it corrects. In addition, the methods and sources used, the main claim, and the side claims supporting it should also be included.
The full texts submitted after assessing the abstract will be subjected to a preliminary examination by the Regulatory Board in terms of form and content, after which it will be sent to the reviewers. The following decisions may be given for the studies in line with the reports coming from the reviewers:
Acceptable in its current state.
Can be accepted into the Summer School after correcting the issues stated in the review evaluation.
Rejected.
APA 7th edition will be used as the article reference system.
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