Balkanism #1
225 x 305 mm, 170 pages
London, UK
Annual
Editor: Arbër Qerka-Gashi
Art directors: Verica Petrović & Arbër Qerka-Gashi
Designer: Verica Petrović
Having cultivated a strong following on Instagram with its archival approach to presenting Balkan culture, Balkanism turns to print with a new annual aiming to ‘reshape how the Balkans, its people, and its global diaspora are perceived around the world’. With a particular emphasis on challenging ethnonationalist perspectives, it offers a nuanced look at the many cultures and histories of an often homogenised region of the world.
Featuring stories on Sicanje tattoo patterns, the Afro-Albanian community, intergenerational handwritten recipes, queer unions in Serbia and more, this debut issue is themed ‘Diversity as Strength’ and brings together 40 contributors from the region and its diasporas, including a number of accounts from Balkanism's own online community.