Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper is a study of the first generation of white immigrant groups from the Balkan Peninsula who left their homelands in the turbulent period in the decade of 1990-2000, when the region was shattered by an outburst of violence unprecedented in Europe since World War II. Due to the long standing negative connotations associated with being from the Balkans, there is no firm agreement on which countries exactly belong to the region. In this article, the Balkans are understood as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, and former Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). Immigration from the Balkans that has occurred in the last decade is propelled by the political and economic conditions that differ significantly from the causes of immigration at the beginning of the twentieth century. Most of the immigrants who arrived to the United States between 1880 and 1920 were unskilled labor force. Arriving primarily in New York, whether Polish, Serbian, or Bulgarian these immigrants “brought a rough equality with them – mass poverty, unemployment, hope and no formal education” (Bagatelas and Sergei, 2003, p.7).

The latest movement of people, however, is a result of globalization in which “migration is one of the key forces of social transformation in the contemporary word” (Castles, 2002, p. 1143). A mixture of civil wars, disintegrated state, shattered economy and failed ideology, it is practically impossible to determine the primary cause of immigration among the Balkan peoples today. As Stephen Castles (2002) aptly described: “Migration is part of family and community survival strategies, and is shaped by long-term considerations of security and sustainability, as well as by the role of remittances and investment opportunities.

Drawing on the in-depth interviews of thirteen Balkan immigrants who now reside in the greater Chicago area, we explore the impact of new immigrants' sense of racial and ethnic identity, particularly in relation to ideas of "Whiteness", "Americanness", and domestic policies of affirmative action and the events in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The poetry slam environment is the location of a joining of the political and the personal. In this paper, the author explores the personal and political expression of identity in slam poetry competitions and slam poetry. Issues of identity and performance are explored. The slam location is posited as site of political and personal musing.

Publication Type: Proceeding

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The expansion of the European Union has promoted democratization as a mechanism for ensuring peace and security in the region. By focusing on former Soviet Satellites and the newly independent states of Eastern Europe, the authors assess the primacy of institutional establishment, as required by the EU, versus the encouragement of civil society and political culture in the process of democratization. Considering the recent wave of democratization, a clear understanding of peaceful democratic consolidation is necessary given the volatility of transitional regimes. This paper explores the rationale behind the EU’s selection of certain newly democratizing states and the extent to which the selection process is influenced by state building and the promotion of civil society. This research examines the convergence of the democratic peace, political consolidation, and neo-liberal literatures to provide a more in-depth explanation regarding the EU’s promotion of stability through the enlargement process. Through the analysis of three logit model, the authors conclude that liberal political institutions and a democratic civil society are both prerequisites to be offered candidate country status from the European Union.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Hubert Dreyfus has suggested that ethical life ought to be understood as a kind of skillful coping analogous to the skillful coping involved in any other expert activity, such as playing chess or driving a car. As an initial step towards the development of a phenomenology of ethical expertise, Dreyfus applies the notion of skillful coping to an evaluation of the Kohlberg and Gilligan models of moral development and concludes that the latter presents a better understanding of moral maturity. I will extend Dreyfus’ analysis by offering an articulation and evaluation of what I take to be three distinct contemporary models of ethics: the Principles of Justice model places emphasis on one’s formulation and application of abstract and universal principles of moral right; the Traditions of Virtue model places emphasis on one’s discovery and application of communally generated moral norms; and the Relationships of Care model places emphasis on one’s affective and intuitive moral response to face-to-face encounters. First, I will evaluate each model according to Dreyfus’ phenomenology of ethical expertise in order to arrive at a better understanding of ethical/moral maturity (becoming ethical). Second, I will evaluate each model according to Heidegger’s notion of authenticity in order to arrive at an understanding of how each model accords with authentic modes of being (ethical being). Last, in light of the analysis of authenticity and expertise, I will consider the degree to which each model provides a basis for the development of skills requisite for effective civic engagement within late modern liberal democracies.