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“Sport can unite people, but not with them, they don't love this country” ethnic prejudice and identity among basketball fans in North Macedonia
No full textThis study explores how ethnic identity and intergroup prejudice are shaped, expressed and challenged within basketball fandom in North Macedonia, a multi-ethnic and divided society. While sports fan culture is widely recognized as a platform where group belonging and identity are developed, there is limited qualitative research in the Balkans that examines how these identities intersect with ethnic divisions in everyday fan practices. In particular, this study looks at whether sports can serve as a tool for inclusion and reducing ethnic-based prejudice among fans in post-conflict and multi-ethnic societies. To address this gap, we conducted six focus group discussions with 30 members of ethnic-Macedonian and ethnic-Albanian basketball fan groups. Using thematic analysis, we analyzed (a) how fan identities are shaped by group and ethnic belonging and expressed through group symbols, loyalty, and rituals; (b) how intergroup prejudice and exclusion are expressed through perceptions of rivalry and national representation, and (c) whether extended intergroup contact can reduce prejudice among fans. Our findings reveal that fan identities are intertwined with broader socio-political narratives, and that sporting spaces often reinforce, rather than bridge, symbolic boundaries. In addition, Extended Contact Hypothesis (ECH) remains largely ineffective due to emotional detachment and conditional acceptance of the other. These insights offer further understanding of the role of sports and the limitations of contact-based interventions in divided societies, such as North Macedonia
The Western Balkans and the EU:Genuine and Sincere?: The Story of Bilateral Disputes and Pretence
No full textEnlargement is seemingly back on the list of EU priorities. It took a war for it to happen! Indeed, it has been over a decade since the last EU enlargement with Croatia. Other Western Balkan countries have been (im)patiently queuing in the EU’s foyer, waiting for Godot, who never comes despite the promises of his arrival. Meanwhile, Türkiye, an EU candidate country since 1999, dropped out of the league, being almost wiped off the enlargement map after the stalemate in its negotiations with the Union. The EU’s progress with the Western Balkan countries – for which the European perspective was unequivocally confirmed over two decades ago – has stalled due to various issues, including unresolved bilateral disputes. Yet, requesting settlement of bilateral disputes that fall outside the scope of EU law and the jurisdiction of EU courts to reach solutions that can be rejected once the candidate country becomes an EU Member State is rather vain. The current situation is disheartening, underscoring the necessity for a revised approach in the pre-accession process that promotes solidarity, peaceful coexistence, and genuine friendship among states
Examining pathways for a climate neutral Europe by 2050; A model comparison analysis including integrated assessment models and energy system models
No full textThe European Union's goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, outlined in the European Green Deal, is supported by numerous studies providing insights into pathways and emission reduction strategies in the energy sectors. However, model comparisons of such pathways are less common due to the complex nature of climate and energy modelling. Our study brings together integrated assessment models and energy system models under a common framework to develop EU policy scenarios: a Current Trends scenario reflecting existing policies and trends and a Climate Neutrality scenario aligned with the EU's emission reduction target. Both scenarios project reduced final energy consumption by 2050, driven by increased electrification and decreased fossil fuel usage. Electricity consumption increases driven by electrification despite the improved efficiency of electrified technologies. Models align on a shift toward renewables but diverge in technology and fuel choices, reflecting various approaches to reach net-zero energy systems. Furthermore, trade-offs between energy demand and supply mitigation strategies, as well as between renewable energy, e-fuels, and CCS technologies are identified. Considering these model variations, our study highlights the importance of consistent model comparison to offer reliable recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders. We conclude that model diversity is a valuable asset when used sensibly
Careers in the global art field : Geo-capital and globalizer venues in the consecration of Central-Eastern European artists
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2024 The AuthorsIn our contemporary art field global institutional networks offer novel strategies for peripheral artists in their struggle for global recognition, bypassing the necessity of maximizing presence in the territorial core. We address the puzzle of how such novel artistic strategies bypassing core gatekeepers can succeed. In this article we analyze the way artists from Central-Eastern Europe strive for consecration via acquisition by the pinnacle museums – Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou and the MoMA – between 1990 and 2018. Our analysis is based on more than hundred thousand exhibition events of about 3500 artists, held at nearly ten thousand venues in 112 countries. We focus on network topology of co-exhibiting relations of venues and artists. We introduce two key concepts to understand success in the multiscalar global art field: geo-capital and the globalizer position. Geo-capital measures the territorial balance of a venue's topological neighbours, capturing a capacity to span boundaries, while the globalizer position marks those venues that can provide artists with global visibility against the territorial core-periphery spectrum on topological grounds. We show that a strategy built on venues in the globalizer position improves the likelihood of consecration more than any other factors. We contribute to prior research by showing the functioning of a relational form of territoriality, that relies on global networks, and provides a mechanism through which global institutional networks can function in relative vertical autonomy within the multiscalar global art field.Peer reviewe