Debates about the mental map of 'the Balkans' as the negative alter ego of the 'the West' (Maria Todorova) and about the construction of the Balkans as a historical space sui generis (Holm Sundhaussen) provide points of departure. The essays treat an exemplary, yet broad set of topics designed to open up idle fields of research. They foster common and coherent methodological lines and establish a new agenda for future research.
Sabine Rutar is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for East and South- East European Studies, Regensburg and was a fellow at the Imre Kertész Kolleg from October 2012 to October 2013.