A Conversation on the Student-Led Protests in Serbia
Join us for a conversation about the ongoing student-led blockades and mobilizations in Serbia against government corruption, which are soon to enter their sixth month. Engaged researchers will share insights into the roots of the protest, the unique forms of leaderless self-organization through plenums, and possible perspectives for building solidarity across movements.
Please register by May 18th via info@protestinstitut.eu, to receive the link for the online event.
Speakers:
Dr. Jelena Cupać
WZB Berlin Social Science Center
Jelena Cupać is a guest post-doctoral researcher at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. In recent years, her work has focused on democratic backsliding in the Balkans, anti-feminist backlash at the UN within the broader context of anti-liberal politics, and, more recently, the impact of AI regulation on democratization, including its intersection with anti-feminist backlash. Her research has appeared in International Affairs, The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Democratization, and Ethics & International Affairs, among others.
Dr. Aida Kapetanović
Center for Advanced Studies SEE, University of Rijeka
Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade
Aida Kapetanović is a RECAS fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies SEE (Rijeka) and Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (Belgrade). She is currently working on regional networks, frames and policies for river and environmental protection in Southeast Europe. She holds a PhD in Political Science and Sociology at Scuola Normale Superiore, Florence. Her doctoral research investigated river protection struggles in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.Her research interests include environmental activism, the cultural dimensions of collective action, nationalism, and identity in Southeastern Europe, with a focus on qualitative methodologies. She combines academic inquiry with activist engagement and a commitment to producing actionable knowledge.
Prof. Dr. Filip Balunović
Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade
Filip Balunović is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade and an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Media and Communications. In 2020, he obtained his PhD in Sociology of Social Movements from Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence. He is the author of three monographs: Notes from Freedom (Mediteran, Novi Sad 2014), The Poverty of Human Rights (FMK 2023), and The Revival of the Left in the Balkans: Counter-Hegemonic Activism and Ideas that Fueled It (Routledge 2024), as well as several academic articles in the fields of the sociology of social movements and critical theory.