Balkanmediävistik als Forschungskonzept

Abstract

The medieval history of the Balkans was written primarily within the framework of national historiographies
of certain countries, mainly in the form of national history. Medieval competence outside the region
has declined significantly over the last thirty years. The low level of communication is also noticeable
not only in regional media studies, but also in the context of the history of the Middle Ages in Europe in
general. With this in mind, it is considered to what extent a stronger connection between regional research
and an enhanced conceptual definition of the subject of research could contribute to a better insight
into regional research. The paper also discusses on the attitude of Balkan medievalism towards
"imperial" disciplines - Byzantine studies and Ottoman studies.