Beyond the “New” Regional Question? Regions, Territoriality, and the Space of Anthropology in Southeastern Europe
Beyond the “New” Regional Question? Regions, Territoriality, and the Space of Anthropology in Southeastern Europe

Summary/Abstract: This article draws on ethnographic research on the Istrian region to explore the use of the concepts “region” and “regional identity” by anthropologists and other social actors in Southeastern Europe. The first part of the article excavates multiple genealogies and definitions of the region, examining key moments (such as the 1930s and 1990s) in which both the region and regionalism assumed particular importance as either complements or alternatives to the “nation”. The article then explores the continued emphasis on the logics of territoriality of contemporary understandings of regions, regional identity, and regionalism. Recent anthropological work on regions has tended to undervalue de/re-territorializing processes, such as diaspora. As anthropologists have examined the constructed nature of nation-ness and national identity, they have paradoxically risked naturalizing the region and regional identity. In addressing these issues, the article reflects on the “space of anthropology” between region and nation in the study of Southeastern Europe.

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