The Balkans in World HistoryIn the historical and literary imagination, the Balkans loom large as a somewhat frightening and ill defined space, often seen negatively as a region of small and spiteful peoples, racked by racial and ethnic hatred, always ready to burst into violent conflict. The Balkans in World History re defines this space in positive terms, taking as a starting point the cultural, historical, and social threads that allow us to see this region as a coherent if