Francesco Trupia - Böcker

The demise of socialism in Southeast Europe coincided with the breakout of wars and genocidal violence against local Muslim populations. After being displaced and forced to migrate to different European countries, those former socialist citizens quickly developed institutions of sociability and unobtrusively enacted postulates of solidarity. This book brings a spotlight on the “generations after” born to Balkan Muslim families whose repatriation could not take place due to the continuous political instability and insecurity in their homelands. It investigates the new modes of these “second generations” to respond to the current crisis of liberal democracy and rampant Islamophobia in their places of residence. By relating spatial issues to broader religious and political questions, this study shines a light on the civic engagement, religious practices and political sensitivities of young Muslims with Balkan roots in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Poland. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of Islamic Studies, Migration Studies, Anthropology of Religion and Memory Studies.

After October 7, 2023, the fallout of the war in Gaza has gone beyond Israel and Palestine. In the Balkans – a region grappling with the complex convergence of post-socialist and postcolonial legacies – many began reliving their past experiences of war and genocidal violence through the plight of Palestinians. This book explores the diverse postulates of transnational solidarity that have (re)emerged in the Balkans in support of Palestine or forged new burgeoning political alliances with Israel. It precisely delves into the weaponization of collective memory and history to fight “old enemies” or readjust the geopolitical predicament of the whole region toward key Euro-Atlantic partners and allies.