Maria Falina | Dublin City University (original) (raw)
Papers by Maria Falina
Journal of Modern European History
This article examines the narratives of democracy in interwar Yugoslavia. It starts with the prem... more This article examines the narratives of democracy in interwar Yugoslavia. It starts with the premise that the commitment to democracy in the immediate post-war period was deep and sincere as it was seen as an answer to domestic and international political challenges. The article focuses on how democracy was understood and narrated, and maintains that virtually every political actor engaged with the idea and/or practice of democracy, thereby making it a subject of an important debate. Thus, democracy was at the time as significant a concept and theme as was nationalism, which usually receives more attention in historical analysis. Such issues as national self-determination, the establishment of the state, and the symbolic place of Yugoslavia among well-established European nations impacted the way democracy was debated. At the same time, local political actors used claims to possess better expertise in democracy to back up specific ideological and national projects. Finally, socio-economic issues emerged in the later half of the period to complement the national considerations. A significant difference in the narratives of democracy as understood primarily in political terms and the narrative of democracy that emphasizes its social and economic dimension emerged towards the late 1930s.
![Research paper thumbnail of Сербская церковь и национальная идея [Serbian Church and the National Idea]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/31944272/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Pro et Contra. Церковь, государство и общество в странах восточного христианства [Church, State and Society in Eastern Christianity] Vol. 17, № 3-4, May-Aug 2013
Liliya Berezhnaya & Christian Schmitt, eds. Iconic Turns: Nation and Religion in Eastern European Cinema since 1989
After the epochal turn of 1989 a new wave of movies dealing with the complex entanglement of reli... more After the epochal turn of 1989 a new wave of movies dealing with the complex entanglement of religious and national identity has emerged in the eastern part of Europe. There has been plenty of evidence for a return of nationalism, while the predicated "return of religion(s)" is envisaged on a larger scale as a global phenomenon. The book suggests that in the wake of the historical turns of 1989, an "iconic turn" has taken place in Eastern Europe – in the form of a renewed cinematic commitment to make sense of the world in religious and/or national terms. "Iconic Turns" combines theoretical articles on the subject with case studies, bringing together researchers from different national backgrounds and disciplines, such as history, literary and film studies.
Contributors include: Eva Binder, Jan Čulík, Liliya Berezhnaya, Christian Schmitt, Hans-Joachim Schlegel, Maren Röger, Mirosław Przylipiak, Stephen Norris, John-Paul Himka, Maria Falina, and Natascha Drubek.
The dissertation analyzes the position and political agenda of the Serbian Orthodox Church in int... more The dissertation analyzes the position and political agenda of the Serbian Orthodox Church in interwar Yugoslavia. The primary aim of the project is to demonstrate how the fusion and the idea of fusion between Serbian nationalism and East Orthodox Christianity were forged and evolved in the interwar period. The dissertation, thus, problematizes the bond between religious and national identities, which seems to be taken for granted in the academia and by the general public. The temporal focus is on the two interwar decades, as it was precisely in this period that the formulation and justification of the blurring of religious and national identities gained most strength. The thesis argues that the context of the interwar Yugoslav and broadly speaking European political life was of great significance for the development of the Serbian Orthodox political project. The Church, essentially, reacted to contemporary challenges posed by political modernity that included, but were not limited to, the existence of multinational and multi-religious Yugoslav state, ideology of Yugoslavism, fear of secularization, the rise of communism and fascism. The work aims at describing the Serbian phenomena in a manner that makes it comprehensible and comparable to other European cases, in the region and beyond. Along these lines, the concept 'Political Orthodoxism' initially coined for the Romanian context is applied creatively to the Serbian case. The interaction of nationalism and religion are analyzed with the emphasis on ideas and ideologies through the close reading of public discourses and narratives. At the same time, attention is paid to the individual actors, their personal histories and agendas. CEU eTD Collection iv Acknowledgments I have always considered myself lucky to have met and enjoyed the company of many extraordinary people who have been sources of inspiration, intellectual challenge, and moral support. This dissertation is the result of personal and professional friendships, as much as it the result of my individual work. First and foremost, my deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Balázs Trencsényi, who believed in the project before it took form, and has supported my work through six years of research and writing. His patience, dedication to the scholarly exercise, and intellectual depth has never ceased to amaze and inspire me. Radmila Radi , of Belgrade, generously shared her knowledge on the history of the Serbian Church, and helped me to find my way through the thicket of people and books. The staff of the Library of the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade have been helpful and I am grateful for their patience and assistance. Johannes Wischmeyer guided me through the intricacies of German theories, and I profited a lot from our discussions of the thesis' conceptual framework during my stay at the Institute for European History in Mainz. A special mention is due to the fantastic team of the Negotiating Modernity project (Balázs Trencsényi, Monika Baár, Michal Kope ek, Maciej Janowski, and
Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, Jan 1, 2007
Schweitzerische Zeitschrift für Religions-und …, Jan 1, 2007
Book Reviews by Maria Falina
Hungarian Historical Review , 2016
East Central Europe, Jan 1, 2012
Books by Maria Falina
Bloomsbury, 2023
Religion and Politics in Interwar Yugoslavia explores the interaction between religion, nationali... more Religion and Politics in Interwar Yugoslavia explores the interaction between religion, nationalism, and political modernity in the first half of the 20th century, taking the case of the Serbian Orthodox Church as an example. This book historicizes the widely held assumption that the bond between religion and nationalism in the Balkans is a natural one or that this bond has been historically inevitable. It tells a complex story of how East Orthodox Christianity came to be at the core of one version of Serbian nationalism by bringing together the themes of religion, nationalism, politics, state-building, secularization, and modernity.
Maria Falina reconstructs how the ideological fusion between Serbian nationalism and East Orthodox Christianity was forged. The analysis emphasizes ideas and ideologies through a close reading of public discourses and historical narratives while paying attention to individual actors and their personal histories. The book argues that the particular political vision of the Serbian Orthodox Church emerged in reaction to and in interaction with the challenges posed by political modernity that were not unique to Yugoslavia. These included establishing the modern multinational and multi-religious state, the fear of secularization, and the rise of communism and fascism. Religion and Politics in Interwar Yugoslavia makes an important contribution to understanding the history of interwar Yugoslavia, 20th-century Europe, and the ties between religion and nationalism.
The two volumes, authored by an international team of researchers, offer the first-ever synthetic... more The two volumes, authored by an international team of researchers, offer the first-ever synthetic overview of the history of modern political thought in East Central Europe. Covering almost twenty national cultures and languages, the work goes beyond the conventional nation-centered narrative and offers a novel vision especially sensitive to the cross-cultural entanglement of discourses. Devising a regional perspective, the authors avoid projecting Western European analytical and conceptual schemes on the whole continent, and develop instead new concepts, patterns of periodization, and interpretative models. They also reject the self-enclosing Eastern or Central European regionalist narratives, emphasizing instead the region’s multifarious dialogue with the rest of the world. The two volumes aim to make these cultures available to the global “market of ideas” and to rethink some of the basic assumptions about the history of modern political thought, and modernity as such. The first volume deals with the period from the Late Enlightenment to the First World War. It is structured along four broad chronological and thematic units: Enlightenment reformism, Romanticism and national revivals, late nineteenth-century institutionalization of the national and state-building projects, and the new ideologies of the fin-de-siècle facing the rise of mass politics. The authors trace the continuities and ruptures of political discourses, focusing especially on the modalities by which political thinkers from this part of the world sought to bridge the gap between the idealized Western type of modernity and their own societies challenged by overlapping national claims, social and cultural fragmentation, and lack of institutional continuity.
CFPs/Programmes by Maria Falina
From the frontiers of empires to the Iron Curtain and the (re)definition of nation states, Centra... more From the frontiers of empires to the Iron Curtain and the (re)definition of nation states, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia have long been defined by boundaries and borders. At the same time, the societies and communities of the region have deep and long-standing inter-relations -which often undercut or at the very least, complicate, our notions of nationally bounded space -fostered for instance by shared experiences of empires; flows of people, objects and ideas; common environments; the political transformations of the twentieth century; and the intellectual umbrella of area studies. Exploring the theme 'Environment, territory, mobility', the 43 rd Annual International Conference of IARCEES focuses on the ways in which the physical spaces of Russia, Eurasia and Central/Eastern Europe intersect with wider aspects of social, political, economic and cultural change. Attentive to the specificities of local places and contexts, while accommodating broader patterns and frames of analysis, we invite papers that address topics broadly associated with human-nature relationships; mobilities and migrations; and territorial identity, organisation and re-constitution. The conference is intended to contribute to the further growth of the field by opening up new avenues of research, both within and across disciplines, and by encouraging collaboration and intellectual exchange.
Journal of Modern European History
This article examines the narratives of democracy in interwar Yugoslavia. It starts with the prem... more This article examines the narratives of democracy in interwar Yugoslavia. It starts with the premise that the commitment to democracy in the immediate post-war period was deep and sincere as it was seen as an answer to domestic and international political challenges. The article focuses on how democracy was understood and narrated, and maintains that virtually every political actor engaged with the idea and/or practice of democracy, thereby making it a subject of an important debate. Thus, democracy was at the time as significant a concept and theme as was nationalism, which usually receives more attention in historical analysis. Such issues as national self-determination, the establishment of the state, and the symbolic place of Yugoslavia among well-established European nations impacted the way democracy was debated. At the same time, local political actors used claims to possess better expertise in democracy to back up specific ideological and national projects. Finally, socio-economic issues emerged in the later half of the period to complement the national considerations. A significant difference in the narratives of democracy as understood primarily in political terms and the narrative of democracy that emphasizes its social and economic dimension emerged towards the late 1930s.
Pro et Contra. Церковь, государство и общество в странах восточного христианства [Church, State and Society in Eastern Christianity] Vol. 17, № 3-4, May-Aug 2013
Liliya Berezhnaya & Christian Schmitt, eds. Iconic Turns: Nation and Religion in Eastern European Cinema since 1989
After the epochal turn of 1989 a new wave of movies dealing with the complex entanglement of reli... more After the epochal turn of 1989 a new wave of movies dealing with the complex entanglement of religious and national identity has emerged in the eastern part of Europe. There has been plenty of evidence for a return of nationalism, while the predicated "return of religion(s)" is envisaged on a larger scale as a global phenomenon. The book suggests that in the wake of the historical turns of 1989, an "iconic turn" has taken place in Eastern Europe – in the form of a renewed cinematic commitment to make sense of the world in religious and/or national terms. "Iconic Turns" combines theoretical articles on the subject with case studies, bringing together researchers from different national backgrounds and disciplines, such as history, literary and film studies.
Contributors include: Eva Binder, Jan Čulík, Liliya Berezhnaya, Christian Schmitt, Hans-Joachim Schlegel, Maren Röger, Mirosław Przylipiak, Stephen Norris, John-Paul Himka, Maria Falina, and Natascha Drubek.
The dissertation analyzes the position and political agenda of the Serbian Orthodox Church in int... more The dissertation analyzes the position and political agenda of the Serbian Orthodox Church in interwar Yugoslavia. The primary aim of the project is to demonstrate how the fusion and the idea of fusion between Serbian nationalism and East Orthodox Christianity were forged and evolved in the interwar period. The dissertation, thus, problematizes the bond between religious and national identities, which seems to be taken for granted in the academia and by the general public. The temporal focus is on the two interwar decades, as it was precisely in this period that the formulation and justification of the blurring of religious and national identities gained most strength. The thesis argues that the context of the interwar Yugoslav and broadly speaking European political life was of great significance for the development of the Serbian Orthodox political project. The Church, essentially, reacted to contemporary challenges posed by political modernity that included, but were not limited to, the existence of multinational and multi-religious Yugoslav state, ideology of Yugoslavism, fear of secularization, the rise of communism and fascism. The work aims at describing the Serbian phenomena in a manner that makes it comprehensible and comparable to other European cases, in the region and beyond. Along these lines, the concept 'Political Orthodoxism' initially coined for the Romanian context is applied creatively to the Serbian case. The interaction of nationalism and religion are analyzed with the emphasis on ideas and ideologies through the close reading of public discourses and narratives. At the same time, attention is paid to the individual actors, their personal histories and agendas. CEU eTD Collection iv Acknowledgments I have always considered myself lucky to have met and enjoyed the company of many extraordinary people who have been sources of inspiration, intellectual challenge, and moral support. This dissertation is the result of personal and professional friendships, as much as it the result of my individual work. First and foremost, my deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Balázs Trencsényi, who believed in the project before it took form, and has supported my work through six years of research and writing. His patience, dedication to the scholarly exercise, and intellectual depth has never ceased to amaze and inspire me. Radmila Radi , of Belgrade, generously shared her knowledge on the history of the Serbian Church, and helped me to find my way through the thicket of people and books. The staff of the Library of the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade have been helpful and I am grateful for their patience and assistance. Johannes Wischmeyer guided me through the intricacies of German theories, and I profited a lot from our discussions of the thesis' conceptual framework during my stay at the Institute for European History in Mainz. A special mention is due to the fantastic team of the Negotiating Modernity project (Balázs Trencsényi, Monika Baár, Michal Kope ek, Maciej Janowski, and
Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, Jan 1, 2007
Schweitzerische Zeitschrift für Religions-und …, Jan 1, 2007
Bloomsbury, 2023
Religion and Politics in Interwar Yugoslavia explores the interaction between religion, nationali... more Religion and Politics in Interwar Yugoslavia explores the interaction between religion, nationalism, and political modernity in the first half of the 20th century, taking the case of the Serbian Orthodox Church as an example. This book historicizes the widely held assumption that the bond between religion and nationalism in the Balkans is a natural one or that this bond has been historically inevitable. It tells a complex story of how East Orthodox Christianity came to be at the core of one version of Serbian nationalism by bringing together the themes of religion, nationalism, politics, state-building, secularization, and modernity.
Maria Falina reconstructs how the ideological fusion between Serbian nationalism and East Orthodox Christianity was forged. The analysis emphasizes ideas and ideologies through a close reading of public discourses and historical narratives while paying attention to individual actors and their personal histories. The book argues that the particular political vision of the Serbian Orthodox Church emerged in reaction to and in interaction with the challenges posed by political modernity that were not unique to Yugoslavia. These included establishing the modern multinational and multi-religious state, the fear of secularization, and the rise of communism and fascism. Religion and Politics in Interwar Yugoslavia makes an important contribution to understanding the history of interwar Yugoslavia, 20th-century Europe, and the ties between religion and nationalism.
The two volumes, authored by an international team of researchers, offer the first-ever synthetic... more The two volumes, authored by an international team of researchers, offer the first-ever synthetic overview of the history of modern political thought in East Central Europe. Covering almost twenty national cultures and languages, the work goes beyond the conventional nation-centered narrative and offers a novel vision especially sensitive to the cross-cultural entanglement of discourses. Devising a regional perspective, the authors avoid projecting Western European analytical and conceptual schemes on the whole continent, and develop instead new concepts, patterns of periodization, and interpretative models. They also reject the self-enclosing Eastern or Central European regionalist narratives, emphasizing instead the region’s multifarious dialogue with the rest of the world. The two volumes aim to make these cultures available to the global “market of ideas” and to rethink some of the basic assumptions about the history of modern political thought, and modernity as such. The first volume deals with the period from the Late Enlightenment to the First World War. It is structured along four broad chronological and thematic units: Enlightenment reformism, Romanticism and national revivals, late nineteenth-century institutionalization of the national and state-building projects, and the new ideologies of the fin-de-siècle facing the rise of mass politics. The authors trace the continuities and ruptures of political discourses, focusing especially on the modalities by which political thinkers from this part of the world sought to bridge the gap between the idealized Western type of modernity and their own societies challenged by overlapping national claims, social and cultural fragmentation, and lack of institutional continuity.
From the frontiers of empires to the Iron Curtain and the (re)definition of nation states, Centra... more From the frontiers of empires to the Iron Curtain and the (re)definition of nation states, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia have long been defined by boundaries and borders. At the same time, the societies and communities of the region have deep and long-standing inter-relations -which often undercut or at the very least, complicate, our notions of nationally bounded space -fostered for instance by shared experiences of empires; flows of people, objects and ideas; common environments; the political transformations of the twentieth century; and the intellectual umbrella of area studies. Exploring the theme 'Environment, territory, mobility', the 43 rd Annual International Conference of IARCEES focuses on the ways in which the physical spaces of Russia, Eurasia and Central/Eastern Europe intersect with wider aspects of social, political, economic and cultural change. Attentive to the specificities of local places and contexts, while accommodating broader patterns and frames of analysis, we invite papers that address topics broadly associated with human-nature relationships; mobilities and migrations; and territorial identity, organisation and re-constitution. The conference is intended to contribute to the further growth of the field by opening up new avenues of research, both within and across disciplines, and by encouraging collaboration and intellectual exchange.