STEFAN
SERBIA
28 YEARS
"How we
analyze the past, determines
our future."
Stefan was born in Pristina, Kosovo, as the youngest of four brothers. While his siblings were in elementary school, he would occasionally sneak into their room to browse through their books. One item held his fascination: a geographical and historical atlas.
Stefan would study the borders, mountains, and rivers, captivated by the vastness and beauty of the world. Before long, he could not only recite the capitals of the Western Balkans, but of Europe and all the other continents as well. Little did he know that this childhood memory would be the starting point for his life‘s journey.
Stefan currently is a PHD student in International and European politics at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Additionally, he works at the International Institute for Politics and Economics, where he is engaged in research on the politics of the Western Balkans. Prior to relocating to Belgrade 10 years ago, Stefan resided in Podgorica and Niksic, Montenegro for fifteen years. His upbringing in four different cities gave him a natural multicultural background, which he only became fully aware of when he started his degree.
Determined in trying to grasp the sheer scale of the region's intricate and rich history made him question whether he needed to choose one identity – or even nationality - over another. However, as he engaged in discourse with his family, friends and professional mentors, he came to understand that it was not about a question of choosing, but rather of honoring the fact that all the places he has lived in the Western Balkans have contributed into shaping him into the multi-layered Human Being he is proud to be today.
This realization had a profound impact on him personally and on the potential of his work. Stefan concluded that it is not only the responsibility of a political scientist to summarize complex issues and processes in a way that is more understandable to the public.
It is also the responsibility of the research process to bridge social, cultural, and political divides. Stefan exemplified this approach hands on from the outset of his doctoral degree.
During his research on Albania‘s foreign policy of the last decade, he discovered that there were only two papers in Serbian language on the subject available. Consequently, Stefan undertook the task of learning the Albanian language to gain a deeper understanding and to be able to follow the advice of his mentor: He asserted that it is impossible to become a truly proficient researcher without having spent time in the local community to gain an insight into the mentality of the people and their day-to-day life. In examining the Berlin Process and the integration of the Western Balkan Six into the European Union, Stefan reached the conclusion that a similar trajectory is evident. It is necessary that the membership process becomes an integral part of the region‘s political, economic, and social fabric, for it not to be perceived by the people as a mere accession to a „club.“
In his assessment of the current tenuous state of art of the European Union and its prospects, Stefan maintains a positive outlook and proposes the following analogy: Everyone experiences periods in their lives when they feel more vulnerable. This is an essential part of the journey, as only through adversity can we form new bonds that are stronger and deeper. The crucial point is this: Should we proceed with resilience and determination through such a process, we have the opportunity to create a positive and improved path towards a unified future.
