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The Peace Academy organized a summer course, Resisting Nationalism and Populism: Lessons from the case of Bosnia & Herzegovina, from July 27 to August 28, 2020 in partnership with the University of Manchester in Great Britain and with the financial support of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). The course was held via the Zoom online platform and examined the growing global phenomenon of nationalism and far-right populism, its enormous potential and power to polarize society, and the perception that it is a threat to a liberal social order and political tolerance. BiH and the region offered a dynamic case study, because despite the revival of nationalisms and populism in the 1990s and the divisions present during the wars in BiH and the region until today, there is still evident and continuous resistance to nationalist and populist programs. 

Listen to course participant Emina Frljak's reflections about the summer course.

Twenty-two students, activists, researchers and journalists from BiH, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, the United States, Canada, India, Zambia, Kenya, Congo and Lesotho studied together during the summer course. The course was divided into 6 different modules: Understanding Populism and Resistance, Feminism and Networks of Resistance, Everyday Resistance in the Workplace, Local-First Activism as Resistance, Resistance Within International Projects, and a Mostar Virtual Excursion. Lecturers included Valida Repovac Nikšić (University of Sarajevo), Zlatiborka Popov Momčinović (University of East Sarajevo), Jasmin Ramović (University of Manchester), Randall Puljek-Shank (Burch University) and Nejra Nuna Čengić (University of Manchester).

Participants wrote the following reflection papers after the summer school course:

Essays

Videos

Ubleha for idiots

  • Report

    Very often, the only true product of an NGO activity.  A very detailed description of everything that was not done in the project (See) so that it looks like it was done perfectly. It obligatorily includes the financial aspect where all the money spent is justified as if it was spent for perfect results (See).  It is important to list all possible indicators (See) of success: it is compulsory to name some benign problem (for example, the obstruction of the local nationalists, natural disasters, weird local customs, unrealistic requests and exaggerated expectations of the beneficiaries (See) or participants (See), etc.) in order to enhance the authenticity of the report. Any problem is justified by force majeure   and may even serve well to justify the exceeding of the budget.

from Ubleha for Idiots – An Absolutely non useful Guide for Civil Society Building and Project management for Locals and Internationals in BiH and Beyond by Nebojša Šavija-Valha and Ranko Milanovic-Blank, ALBUM No. 20, 2004, Sarajevo, translated by Marina Vasilj.