As the successor states enter their fourth decade, it is tempting to dismiss the legacies of the four decades of a single Yugoslavia that preceded them. This welcome volume addresses the continuing connections of the one with the many, from the strengths and weakness of the former Yugoslavia to its continuities and discontinuities in the seven successor states. Drawn from a recent Oxford conference, its editors have assembled nine instructive chapters primarily from regional scholars. They cover a range of relevant subjects that would daunt any single author. The political chapters examine continuing ambiguities in the role of liberal ideology, civil society and a once common popular culture. Chapters on international affairs consider the legacies of non-alignment, territorial disputes and relations with Russia and Turkey. The final chapters move from two critical appraisals of the Yugoslav economic model that debate its recent relevance to the EU’s market model and to a third surveying the struggles over its adoption in business practice and public opinion.

John R. Lampe, Professor Emeritus, Department of History, University of Maryland, USA

Unlike for example electricity, history does not have a switch button, and thus one cannot just simply turn the <i>darkness</i> of one historical period into a <i>light</i> of another, or vice versa. Even after major historical events – wars, state disintegration, revolution or regime collapse – major characteristics of <i>pre-Event</i> system continue well into a new, <i>post-Even</i>t era. This book analyses continuities and discontinuities between the Cold War Yugoslavia and post-Yugoslav states, in economic, social, political and ideational spheres. Even 30 years after its collapsing, Yugoslavia still lives in collective memory, institutional practice and identity-designing of its many successor-states. And - as some of the authors of this collection argue - the change, where it happened, was not always for better. Remembering the old and trying to preserve as much as one can in new circumstances is thus not always irrational.

Dejan Jovic, Professor of International Relations, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Yugoslavia´s legacy is crucial for an understanding of the Western Balkans in the 21st. century. Bringing together a variety of disciplines and analytical perspectives this volume sheds new light on continuities and discontinuities of practices, institutions, and experiences of the successor states until the present day. It is highly recommended to all those interested in the history and recent past of this fascinating region.

Marie-Janine Calic, Professor of East and Southeast European History, University of Munich, Germany