Balkans

Because of its contemporary bibliography and strong synthesis, this is an extremely useful work for understanding modern Balkan conflict and for projecting the future of the region. * Richard C. Hall, Slavic Review *
the strengths of this book are considerable ... Biondich has produced a thought-provoking synthetic treatment of modern Balkan history that deserves a wide readership among all scholars and policy analysts with interests in better understanding of the region. * Max Bergholz, Canadian Slavonic Papers *
Biondich gives a comprehensive overview of the implications of nationalism on the wider political development of the Balkans and of the relevance of multiple actors, ranging from the international influence of the Great Powers to the domestic role of the churches ... The book challenges conventional understandings of the political violence in the Balkans (e.g., Kaplan 1994), while providing a rich overview of the European political transformations over two centuries and their implications for the Balkans ... Biondich's book contributes to the deconstruction of widely held beliefs. * Lucie Waltzer, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism *
This is a useful monograph. It deals essentially with the development of modern nationalism in a remoter part of Europe. Based on extensive knowledge, it offers students a sound interpretation and the possibility of wider reading on a part of our continent that is becoming less remote by the day. * Stevan K. Pavlowitch, European History Quarterly *
Biondich has produced a meticulously researched work that integrates a large corpus of literature on the Balkan region with the cutting edge of scholarship on violence, nationalism, and war ... This is a stimulating topic, which has been treated in a stimulating way in Biondichs excellent book. * John Paul Newman, War In History *
The Balkans is a most welcome addition to existing literature on state formation, nationalism, and violence in the Balkans. The breath of the study is impressive ... The book should, as such, not only appeal to professional students of the Balkans and to students of political violence, it should also appeal to those in the wider public who have an interest in understanding how and why the Balkans are simply one of Europe's many "zones of violence". * John Gledhill, Suedosteuropa *
[The book is] surprisingly concise, but at the same time quite eloquent and readable. * Daniel Lalic, Passau *
Mark Biondich's book represents a fresh elaboration on the presence of nationalism in the Balkans and its relevance for the post-1878 political developments. * Branislav Radeljic, European Review of History *