International Conference in Podgorica, Montenegro

The international conference “Borders in Southeast Europe: Geography or Imagination?”, to be held in Podgorica on 16-18 May 2025, marks an important milestone in the nearly 30-year-old Joint History Project (JHP) and highlights the importance of its new phase, JHP 2.0.

Distinguished historians from all over South-East Europe will attend the event.  The conference focuses on the nature, role and transformation of borders in the region.

Borders—geographical, political, cultural, ethnic and symbolic—are deeply intertwined with identity. History teaching shapes identities, and identities often shape conflict.

At a time when EU integration remains a strategic goal, the region continues to struggle with fragmentation: the emergence of new borders, unresolved disputes and deepening internal divisions. “Soft” borders – administrative, linguistic and ethnic – are being redrawn, sometimes exacerbating existing tensions. At the same time, irregular migration across the borders of Southeastern Europe is causing a political backlash.

This conference explores how history helps us understand the present and imagine futures. To what extent has Southeast Europe moved beyond identity-driven demarcation?  Are real and imaginary borders being overcome? Or are they reappearing? What can be done – especially as the vision of EU enlargement becomes more distant?

Download the full conference program here: Agenda International-Conference

Stay tuned for more updates from Podgorica.