Balkan Studies Initiative

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation’s Balkan Studies Initiative aims for the first time in VOC history to cover the tragedy that was communist repression in the Balkan peninsula. The Balkans—and their complex experience with communism—remain severely understudied in the West. Yet the region’s distinct historical trajectories under leaders such as Josip Broz Tito in Yugoslavia, Enver Hoxha in Albania, and Nicolae Ceaușescu in Romania offer invaluable insight into the nature and variations of communist autocracy. Today, this history intersects with critical developments including unresolved political and social issues, historical revisionism, nostalgia, and influence campaigns being conducted by a resurgent Russia and China. These developments pose a significant strategic challenge for NATO and EU member states and especially the United States of America. Through published material, exhibitions, academic and commemorative events, and partnerships with experts and affiliated organizations, VOC will shed light on these historical and contemporary issues that many of us have forgotten.

Interested in supporting VOC and the Balkan Studies Initiative? Your gift to VOC here with the gift note “Balkan Studies Initiative” will contribute to this project.