Scholarly Conference Held: “Challenges in Researching the History of Kosovo and Metohija in the 20th Century”

On May 15, 2025, the Institute for Recent History of Serbia hosted a scholarly conference titled Challenges in Researching the History of Kosovo and Metohija in the 20th Century. The event at the Institute in Belgrade included 23 participants from academic, archival, museum, and higher education institutions in Belgrade, Priština, Kosovska Mitrovica, Leposavić, Sokobanja, and Ljubljana. During the course of four sessions, 21 of them presented the findings of their research, followed by thought-provoking and productive debates.

The presentations covered a broad spectrum of topics concerning the history of Kosovo and Metohija in the 20th century, including the position and role of national minorities, the activity and influence of communist structures, the formation of collective identity within social and cultural frameworks, and methodological issues related to fieldwork and archival research. Emphasis was placed on the need for new interpretations, interdisciplinary approaches, and stronger academic collaboration. Particularly noteworthy was the contribution of early-career researchers, whose analytical clarity, innovative perspectives, and critical engagement significantly enriched the scholarly quality of the conference. The Institute for Recent History of Serbia has announced the forthcoming publication of a volume of selected papers, based on preliminary presentations made at the conference, to be edited by Božica Slavković Mirić, Milutin Živković, and Dušan Bojković.