4th International Balkan Studies Congress Successfully Concluded

“The 4th International Balkan Studies Congress, organized by the Balkan Studies Foundation in collaboration with the International University of Sarajevo, Istanbul Medeniyet University, University of Tetova, International Balkan University, and İLEM Association, with the support of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, has been successfully concluded.”

The congress took place from September 6th to 8th at the International University of Sarajevo, bringing together scholars and researchers from diverse disciplines to explore the rich and complex history, culture, and politics of the Balkan region.

The opening ceremony featured welcoming remarks by Assist. Prof. Dr. Bujamin Bela, President of the Congress; Dr. Sevba Abdula, Director of the Balkan Studies Foundation; Prof. Dr. Faruk Bal, Dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences at Istanbul Medeniyet University; Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yıldırım, Rector of the International University of Sarajevo; and Prof. Dr. Sevgi Kurtulmuş, President of the Board of Trustees at the International University of Sarajevo. Additionally, Mr. Abdullah Eren, President of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, provided remarks, emphasizing the significance of academic cooperation in fostering cultural understanding and strengthening ties within the region.

On September 7th, 54 participants from 10 different countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, Nigeria, the United States of America, Slovakia, and Azerbaijan, presented their peer-reviewed scientific papers, covering a wide range of topics related to the Balkan region. September 8th was reserved as a free day for participants to visit Sarajevo.

The congress not only served as a platform for sharing innovative research but also fostered discussions on the region’s current challenges and future prospects. Through these interactions, participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas, establish collaborations, and contribute to the expanding field of Balkan studies.

Session I: History

Moderator: Dr. Sedad Bešlija

》The Lands Everyone Wants to Know But No One Knows Exactly: Cartography Race in the Balkans – Dr. Özge Kobak

》Demographic Structure of Bihor District in 1851 – Dr. Zarife Albayrak

》Who Exposed the Ottomans? The American Missionaries and the Earliest Reports of the Bulgarian Atrocities – Brandon Johnson

》The Relocation and Resettlement of Bosnian Muhajirs after the Annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary in Ottoman Archival Documents (1908-1910) – Bedriye Uzuner

Session II: History

Moderator: Prof. Dr. Muhidin Mulalić

》On social conditions and economic politics in the Republic of Türkiye according to the Bosnian-Herzegovinian magazine Islamski svijet (1932-1935) – Amir Džinić

》A Visual Fight for Bosnia and Herzegovina – Narrative Analyses of Caricatures in Врач Погађач: Шала И Подсмјевка Magazine on the Annexation Crisis – Maroš Melichárek

》Austria-Hungary’s Annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Humor Magazines – Hakan Şendilmen

》Analyzing the Zaman Newspaper as an Historical Resource: Reflection of Disorders in the Selanik Province (1876 – 1880) – Mehmet Yıldız

Session III: History

Moderator: Assist. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Köroğlu

》Memories of a Russian Officer on the Ottoman-Russian War (1828-1829) – Dr. Yunus Emre Aydın

》From Ottoman Foreign Minister to Prime Minister of Albania: Turhan Hüsnü Pasha (1846-1927) – Doğukan Oruç

》Balkan View of a Japanese Scientist: Travelogue of Nakanome Akira – Dr. Uğur Altın

》From Berlin to Istanbul: The Balkan Journey of the Special German Unit Assigned to Reinforce the Straits – Dr. Yusuf Ziya Altıntaş

Session IV: History

Moderator: Prof. Dr. Faruk Bal

》Albanians at the Tribal School and Tafil Bolatini – Dr. Yunus Güler

》The Foundation of Gajret: A Pivotal Bosniak Society and Its Activities from 1903 to 1914 – Assist. Prof. Dr. Enes Turbic

》Deviance of Sufi Orders in Bosnia Through the Lens of State Power – Saadet Demiroğlu

》Comparison of the Role of the Sufism Movement in the Balkans and Indonesia – Supratman Supratman

》Reconsidering the Dynamics of British Imperialism through the Balkans – Assist. Prof. Dr. Fahriye Begüm Yıldızeli

Session V: History

Moderator: Dr. Sevba Abdula

》Tribune of the Bulgarian Exarchate: Novini (1890-1898) – Dr. Ergün Hasanoğlu

》Intellectual Catalysts: The Cultural Influence of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania on the Road to Romanian Independence – Esra Kızıl

》The Transformation of the Ottoman Millet System and the Rise of Nationalism in the Balkans: A Case Study of Church Disputes in Florina – Dr. Elif Charlotte Nelson

》The Effects of Islamic Movements on Bulgarian Muslims’ Interpretation of Religion – Assist. Prof. Dr. Şabanali Ahmed

Session VI: History

Moderator: Omer Merzić

》Women in the 1528-1530 Detailed Survey of the Sanjak of Bosnia – Emina Mostić

》Bosnian Franciscans as Guardians of the Written Heritage in Oriental Languages – Dr. Madžida Mašić

》Reflections of Modernization in Daily Life in Sarajevo: A Study Based on Svrzo’s and Despić House – Esra Tatlı

Session VII: History

Moderator: Dr. Sevba Abdula

》Bulgarian Madrasas in the 19th Century: The Voivode of Tarnova Feyzi (Feyzullah) Aga Madrasa and Its Waqf – Hümeyra Selvi Tırnava

》The Role of Bosnian-Herzegovinian Scholars in the Tradition of Political Writing – Faruk Yılmaz

》Evaluation of the Tanzimat Period of the Balkan Nations According to the Political Psychology Approach – Gizem Ünal

》The Ottoman State’s Military Governorship of Romania and Its Activities During the First World War – Assist. Prof. Dr. Rıdvan Kaşıkçı

Session VIII: Literature

Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Korkmaz

》The Balkans as Cultural Memory in Necati Cumalı’s Novel Viran Dağlar – Prof. Dr. Ahmet Koçak

》Two Wars, One Geography: The Changing Image of the Balkans in the Works of Yaşar Nabi Nayır Titled Balkans and Turkishness and Our Changing World – Dr. İlhan Süzgün

》Ottoman Perception in Novels About the Balkans – Dr. Kamil Parın

》Writers of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Albanian Language – Dr. Loreta Loli

Session IX: History

Moderator: Assist. Prof. Dr. Hamza Preljević

》The Sultan Murad Mosque and Complex in the Formation of Skopje’s City Identity – Büşra Koçer

》The Modern Monuments of North Macedonia after the Prespa Agreement – Anna Korneeva

》Jewish Refugees from Eastern Europe in the Ottoman Territories in 1888 – Nilghiun Ismail

》Special Features of the Architectural Plan of the Altun Alem Mosque Built in Novi Pazar in the 16th Century – Enisa Huseinovic

Session X: Political Science and International Relations

Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ena Kazić

》Bulgarian-Russian Relations After the Accession of Bulgaria to NATO in the Period from 2004 to 2024 – Dr. Adnan Mestan

》Analysis of Türkiye – Bosnia and Herzegovina Relations in the Smart Power Perspective – Dr. Erdem Eren

》China’s Influence on the EU Integration Process of Western Balkan Countries – Dr. Figen Aydın

》Information Warfare in the Balkans: The Role of Serbia and the Comparative Analysis of Russia and the United States – İrem Güldem Karar

Session XI: Political Science and International Relations

Moderator: Moderator: Assist. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Köroğlu

》Yugoslavia-Soviet Union Relations in the Context of Hierarchy Approach (1945-1948) – İrfan Tatlı

》The Transformation of Minority Issues in the Balkans in the Post-Communist Period: The Case of Bulgaria – Dr. Mustafa Işık

》Current European Union security policy on the Balkan Peninsula – Laman Bakuvi

》Sexual Violence During War: Foča Case – Lavinia Marcu

Session XII: Islamic Sciences

Moderator: Dr. İlhan Süzgün

》Metaphysical Foundations of God-Human Relationship in Usûli’s Poems – Hasan Hüseyin Çaçan

》A Journey of Science from the Balkans to Istanbul: Head Scholar of Huzur Lessons Debreli Vildan Fâik Efendi and His Hadith Scholarship – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammed Alparslan Kartal

》The First Commentator of al-Zarnuji’s Ta’līm in the Ottoman Empire: Was Skopje Kılıççızade the Author of Mir’at at-Talibīn? – Zehra Kumru

》Sheikh Yuyo (Šejh Jujo): A 17th Century Ottoman Scholar and His Tomb in Mostar – Hatice Tokuz Güler

》Deconstructing ‘The Bridge on the Drina’ in the Context of Postcolonial Criticism – Faizulla Toltay

Session XIII: Economics

Moderator: Assist. Prof. Dr. Bujamin Bela

》A Pathway to Environmental Sustainability: Does Globalization Moderate the Relationship Between Natural Resources and Ecological Footprint? – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elma Satrovic

》An Analysis of Türkiye’s Official Development Assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina From a Social Policy Perspective – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Enes Kayagil

》According to Documents in the Dubrovnik State Archives: The Dubrovnik Monopoly in the Eastern Adriatic During the 15th and 16th Centuries – Muhammed Seyyid Katırsız

Session XIV: Law Moderator: Assist. Prof. Dr. Mirza Ljubović

》Legal Status of Foreigners of Turkish Descent in Terms of Their Employment in Türkiye – Assist. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Dülger

》Footsteps of Change in the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina? A Review of the ECtHR’s Kovačević v. B&H Decision – Elif Aslı Akyüz

》Guardians or Gatekeepers? Quandaries of the Principle of Non-Refoulement at the EU External Borders – Ermelinda Muçaj

After the completion of the presentations, the closing and evaluation session was held with Dr. Sevba Abdula, Assist. Prof. Dr. Bujamin Bela, Prof. Dr. Faruk Bal, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Köroğlu. During the session, participants engaged in discussions about the overall process of the Balkan Studies Congress, as well as broader topics related to Balkan studies, academic work, and research endeavors.