Balkan History Association

Balkan History Association The Balkan History Association is a non-profit, apolitical, and independent scientific organization.

The Balkan History Association (BHA) is a non-profit, apolitical, and independent organization that aims to develop and promote at both national and international levels the interdisciplinary and comparative study of the Balkan region, and, more generally, of South-East Europe. Our main fields of interest include, but are not restricted to various sub-disciplines of history—political, cultural, mi

litary, economic, urban, literary, oral, or the history of science and communication—art history, history of religions and archaeology. The objectives of the association are to facilitate the formation of a community of scholars specialized in the study of the region, as well as to engage in the formation and professional development of their younger peers. BHA’s audience is composed of researchers, professionals and academics from a secondary and tertiary education background, students at any level of the university trajectory (BA, MA/MPhil, PhD), high-school and college students, in addition to anyone interested in the study of the art, history, or archaeology of the Balkans. Our activities include the organization of both academic events—conferences and lecture series—and social meetings, the latter targeting a non-specialized, general audience. The information related to these, as well as any research output generated on these occasions are advertised and published primarily through our website, or the associated Hiperboreea Journal. BHA promotes the scientific approach in the study of the history, culture, and archaeology of the Balkans. Our activities aim to contribute to a better understanding of the communities in the area, and their shared cultural heritage. Finally, BHA sees the Balkans as intrinsically linked to the larger European cultural space, and opposes its study in isolation. The association defends the freedom of speech, encourages the collaborative exchange of ideas, and aspires to create a platform for cooperation between researchers and the general audience, designed to facilitate a better collaboration between the states in the area.

A new volume of our series has just been published!This volume, the first of its kind, introduces readers to the study o...
31/07/2026

A new volume of our series has just been published!

This volume, the first of its kind, introduces readers to the study of prehistoric symbolism in southeastern Europe. It brings together a range of experts to present case studies, address new data, and critique traditional topics in the literature. Collectively the authors focus on prehistoric symbolism connected with the pivotal era of human history labelled the Neolithic Revolution, which developed in the ‘fertile crescent’ and spread from Anatolia to southeastern Europe. This process was gradual rather than sudden, developing, spreading and changing sporadically across geographic regions. This volume covers the emergence of symbolism, its first uses as sacral symbolism with and on figurines, tablets, and other artefacts, and its gradual evolution towards pre-writing. It considers and incorporates recent DNA analysis in this context, and addresses themes such as the ‘Mother Goddess’. This book will be essential reading for those interested in European prehistory and in the emergence of writing systems.

https://www.peterlang.com/document/1703579

A book review on our volume "Islamic Culture and Pre-Islamic Beliefs in Central Asia", eds. Mihai Dragnea, Dorina Dragne...
28/07/2026

A book review on our volume "Islamic Culture and Pre-Islamic Beliefs in Central Asia", eds. Mihai Dragnea, Dorina Dragnea, Antonio Alonso Marcos (Lexington, 2024) has been written in Serbian by Mirjana Marinković (Department of Oriental Studies, University of Belgrade) and included in the Annals of the Faculty of Philology, Vol. 38, No. 1 (2026): 322-324. Freely available at https://anali.fil.bg.ac.rs/index.php/anali/en/article/view/analiff-2026-38-1-18/492

A book review on our volume “Wallachian Mobility and Settlement along the Carpathian Arc”, eds. Mihai Dragnea, Miloš Mar...
22/07/2026

A book review on our volume “Wallachian Mobility and Settlement along the Carpathian Arc”, eds. Mihai Dragnea, Miloš Marek, Grzegorz Jawor, John Polemikos (Routledge, 2025) has been written in German by Meinolf Arens (International Institute for Nationality Law and Regionalism, Munich) and included in the European Journal of Minority Studies, Vol. 19, Nr. 1-2 (2026): 204-206. Freely available at https://biblioscout.net/en/article/99.140005/ejm202601020401

The president of the Balkan History Association, Mihai Dragnea, and vice-president, Dorina Dragnea, met with representat...
13/07/2026

The president of the Balkan History Association, Mihai Dragnea, and vice-president, Dorina Dragnea, met with representatives of the Lithuanian Institute of History in Vilnius. Discussions for future collaboration on subjects related to the history of Lithuania and the connection with South-East Europe took place with its Deputy Director for Foreign Relations and Communication, Mindaugas Šapoka, and Senior Researcher, Rasa Čepaitienė.

BHA webinar available on YouTube!
13/07/2026

BHA webinar available on YouTube!

Prof. Ivaylo Naydenov, PhD. The aim of this study is to shed light...

This book examines how Christian writers portrayed the conversion of Slavs beyond the Elbe River—a complex, centuries-lo...
30/06/2026

This book examines how Christian writers portrayed the conversion of Slavs beyond the Elbe River—a complex, centuries-long process spanning the tenth through twelfth centuries. Rather than a simple narrative of religious transformation, this conversion unfolded through multiple influences, scholarly debates, and specific historical contexts.

The work explores the intricate relationship between conversion and warfare, examining how crusade ideology intersected with territorial conquest. Through detailed analysis, the chapters reveal how this religious and political dynamism affected marginalized populations and demonstrated theology's crucial influence on these processes. The final phase of Slavic integration coincided with a pivotal moment in the development of crusading rhetoric throughout German territories. This timing proved significant for understanding both the conversion process and broader medieval Christian identity.

The book offers fresh insights into medieval Christian identity while challenging modern assumptions about paganism. Medieval paganism emerges as a fluid concept rooted in biblical notions of disobedience, rebellion, apostasy, and idolatry—distinct from contemporary pagan movements. These findings will stimulate new research directions on paganism throughout the medieval Latin periphery.

https://www.routledge.com/From-Preaching-to-Sword-The-Integration-of-the-Slavs-Beyond-the-Elbe-into-Imperium-Christianum-10th-12th-Centuries/Dragnea/p/book/9789048574230

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