'We've crossed the border, but we're still here': Cinema, the Balkans, and the unification of Europe

My dissertation examines recent films from the Balkans and Western Europe in order to address the cinematic, social, and cultural transitions underway in the post-communist era. My introduction establishes the scholarly and historical context for my project by outlining the ways in which cinema from Eastern Europe was studied during the Cold War. Additionally, I trace the division of Europe into East and West to its conceptual origins in the work of several eighteenth century Enlightenment historians and philosophers. Following this discussion, in chapter one, I read the film Ulysses' Gaze, exploring the connections between theories of the emergence of cinema in the context of late nineteenth century and early twentieth century modernity in relation to the "end of history" discourses that proliferated following the collapse of communism.; Chapter two examines the reemergence of ethnic nationalism in the context of the former Yugoslavia. I analyze the film Pretty Village, Pretty Flame as a template for understanding the ideological tensions inherent in Serbian nationalism. I argue that the reemergence of ethnicity results from the relationship between nationalist ideologies and the unofficial Yugoslav communist practice of mobilizing the masses along ethnic lines while simultaneously trying to sublimate ethnicity.; Chapter three explores questions of migration and exile. I focus on the film Lamerica in order to articulate the potential for film images to reflect the changes in the ideological underpinnings of established ideas of exile and identity, as well as reveal emergent possibilities for new forms of identity that exist beyond the horizon of current historical trends.; My conclusion addresses the Balkans and its cinema in relation to the unification of Europe. I ask: Does the emergence of a unifying Europe allow for reconciliation with the ethnic violence of the immediate past? In attempting an answer, I examine several films from the Balkans and Western Europe that respond differently to the issue of reconciliation. In doing so, I articulate some of the possibilities that lie ahead for the Balkans and Europe, as well as show why the study of cinema should remain at the forefront for addressing those possibilities.