O PROJEKTU | ABOUT THE PROJECT

Balkan in “Balkanski polotok”…geografsko gledano ne obstaja. Tam, kjer naj bi bil ta polotok, je le nekaj »geografskih preigravanj«. Do uporabe tega izraza je prišlo po letu 1918, ko so srbski geografi začeli uporabljati Balkan z namenom širitve Srbije na zahod. Koncept Balkana in Balkanskega polotoka je ustvaril nemški geograf August Zeune leta 1808, ki ga je zmotno štel za prevladujoč osrednji gorski sistem jugovzhodne Evrope, ki sega od Jadranskega do Črnega morja- območje današnje Bolgarije (Gorovje Stara gora). Izraz Balkan naj bi nadomestil francosko ime Evropska Turčija, območje, ki so ga vojaško in politično nadzorovali Otomani. Torej, ko nekdo uporabi izraz balkanska država, bi to pomenilo, da je še vedno pod nadzorom Turčije. Edina balkanska država je danes evropski del Turčije.

Primer...Grčija ne more biti balkanska država, saj je neodvisna država...zato je uporaba zastarela in ima samo zgodovinski pomen...kot "Balkanske vojne".

Literatura in "kabinetni" geografi morajo pregledati ta izraz. Primera sta Wikipedia in celo Britannica ... kopiran izraz brez razumevanja in njegove etimologije je "zdi se resničen" - danes bi temu rekli "lažne novice". Nadomestil ga je izraz Jugovzhodna Evropa. Balkan se zaradi nerazumevanje etimologije tudi napačno interpretira v šolski literaturi, kar ustvarja "domino efekt", podobno kot je npr. nastal izraz QUIZ, vendar s politično škodljivim vplivom.

Zgled "Zahodni Balkan" ...tako območje geografsko ne obstaja oziroma bi se lahko uporabil za zahodno območje gorovja Stara gora ali zahodni del evropsklefga dela današnje Turčije.

Balkans and the “Balkan peninsula”…geographically speaking it doesn′t exist. There are only some “plays” where that peninsula is. The discrepancy occurred after 1918 when Serbian geographers started to use Balkan with the goal to expand Serbia to the West. The concept of the Balkan and Balkan peninsula was created by the German geographer August Zeune in 1808, who mistakenly considered it as the dominant central mountain system of Southeast Europe spanning from the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea. The term Balkan was intended to replace the French name Europe Turkiye, the area which was military and politically controlled by Ottomans. So when someone uses the term Balkan country that would mean that it is still controlled by Turkiye. The only Balkan country nowadays is the European part of Turkiye.

Example…Greece can not be a Balkan country as it is an independent country… so the use is obsolete and is only with the historical meaning…like "Balkan Wars".

Literature and the “cabinet” geographers need to review that term. Examples are Wikipedia and even Britannica…the copy-cated term with no understanding of it and its etymology made is “it seems real” - we would call that nowadays “fake news”. It was replaced with the term South-East Europe.

1. The Term "Western Balkans" is a Modern Political Construct

• EU Bureaucratic Jargon: The term was coined by the European Union in the early 2000s to refer to non-EU states in Southeast Europe (Albania, Bosnia, Serbia, etc.).

• Exclusionary Logic: It artificially groups countries based on their EU accession status rather than geography or culture. Slovenia and Croatia, once called "Balkan," suddenly became "Central European" after joining the EU.

• Implied Hierarchy: The "Western Balkans" label suggests these nations are in a "waiting room" for Europe, reinforcing a neo-colonial narrative.

2. The Ottoman Legacy Problem

• Historical Subtext: By using "Balkans," the term subconsciously ties these nations to their Ottoman past, as if they are still part of a "Turkish sphere."

• Rejection by Locals: Many in the region (especially Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia) resist the term precisely because it evokes Ottoman domination rather than their sovereign European identity.

• Double Standards: No one calls Spain a "Moorish country" despite 700 years of Islamic rule—so why do we still use Ottoman-linked terminology for the Balkans?

3. The Hypocrisy of Geographic Naming

• No "Western Iberia" or "Eastern Scandinavia": Europe doesn’t divide other peninsulas this way. The term exists only for the Balkans, reinforcing the idea that the region is "incomplete" or "troubled."

• Alternative Neutral Terms Exist:

  • Southeast Europe (geographic)

  • Adriatic-Danube Region (cultural-economic)

  • Post-Yugoslav States (for former Yugoslavia + Albania)

4. Historical names fo the area

• Illyrian Provinces (Napoleonic era)

• Habsburg Military Frontier (for Croatia-Serbia borderlands)

• Rumelia (Ottoman administrative term, but not a "peninsula")
  …were used, reflecting real political borders, not imagined geography.

Why Does the Term Persist?

• Laziness: Western politicians/media find "Balkans" an easy shorthand.

• Othering: It subtly frames the region as Europe’s "problem child."

• Lack of Local Input: The EU and NATO imposed the term without consulting regional identities.

Solution?

• Use Southeast Europe (neutral).

• Refer to specific countries or subregions (e.g., "Adriatic states," "Danube Basin").

• Challenge journalists/politicians who use "Balkans" uncritically.