Naimark (East European studies, Stanford U.) presents the contributions of 11 historians of Yugoslavia (primarily from American academic institutions) that, in separate sections, study older historical issues that are relevant to the wars of dissolution of the 1990s and analyze events of the wars themselves. The first section includes a portrait of ethnicity in Dubrovnik, discussion of conflicts between Slavs and Venetians, and an analysis of the impact of historiography on Western perceptions of the people of the region. The later papers explore such topics as the formulation of Serbian identity, the attempts by Yugoslavias education institutions to foster a single national identity, and the impact of the Macedonian question on the conflicts. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Most of what has been written about the recent history of Yugoslavia and the fierce wars that have plagued that country has been produced by journalists, political analysts, diplomats, human rights organization, the United Nations, and other government and intergovernmental organizations. Professional historians of Yugoslavia, however, have been strangely silent about the wars and the breakup of the country. This book is an effort to end that silence. The goal of this volume is to bring together insights from a distinguished group of American and European scholars of Yugoslavia to add depth to our historical understanding of that country’s recent struggles. The first part of the volume examines the ways in which images of the Yugoslav past have shaped current understandings of the region. The second part deals more directly with the events of the recent past and also looks forward to some of the problems and future prospects for Yugoslavia’s successor states. The goal of this volume is to bring together insights from a distinguished group of American and European scholars of Yugoslavia to add depth to our historical understanding of that country’s recent struggles.
