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Call for Papers – Special Issue (Cahiers Balkaniques)

Call for Papers – Special Issue (Cahiers Balkaniques)

Deadline: April 30, 2026

Call for Papers: Special Issue / Volume

Title: Musical Geographies from Greece and the Balkans to the Globe: Embodied and Disembodied Diasporic Networks
Rationale

The Balkan peninsula has been a crossroads of migrations, forced displacements, and transnational movements. Music and dance have historically served as vital tools for the construction and negotiation of identity among Balkan diasporas. This special issue of Cahiers Balkaniques aims to explore the "Musical Geographies" of these populations as they move from the Balkans to the global stage.

We seek to examine the tension between the embodied—the physical performance, the "lived" experience of dance, and the ritual—and the disembodied—the digital circulation of sound, the archive, and the mediated memory. How do Balkan diasporic subjects re-map their sense of belonging through sound and movement in new environments? How do these networks connect the "home" country with global urban centers?
Suggested Themes

We welcome submissions in English or French that address, but are not limited to:

  • Balkan Soundscapes in Transition: The evolution of Balkan musical traditions in global contexts (Europe, the Americas, Australia, etc.).
  • Choreographing Diaspora: Dance as an embodied archive of memory and a site of cultural resistance or adaptation.
  • Digital Balkan Networks: The role of social media, YouTube, and streaming in creating "disembodied" virtual communities.
  • Inter-Balkan Interactions Abroad: How different Balkan diasporic groups (Greek, Albanian, Serbian, Bulgarian, etc.) interact, collide, or collaborate musically in the diaspora.
  • The Industry of Nostalgia: The commercialization of Balkan "roots" music and the role of ethnic festivals and community clubs.
  • Historical Perspectives: Early 20th-century recordings (78rpm), radio broadcasts, and the first waves of Balkan migration.
  • Politics of Performance: How Balkan music and dance are used to negotiate national or supranational identities in transnational spaces.
    Submission Process

Cahiers Balkaniques is a peer-reviewed journal. Articles should be original and can be submitted in either English or French.

  • Abstract Submission: Please send a proposal of 400–500 words and a short bio (100-150 words).
  • Deadline for Abstracts: April 30, 2026
  • Notification of Acceptance: June 30, 2026
  • Full Paper Submission: April 30, 2027

Submissions can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Keywords: Balkan Studies, Cultural Studies, Cultural Geography, Ethnomusicology, Dance Studies, Diaspora, Transnationalism, Soundscapes, Embodiment.

Alexandra Mourgou, PhD
MITACS Elevate Postdoctoral Fellow, York University, Dept. of History
Principal Investigator at Playing Back: Musical Geographies in Toronto & the Greek Canadian Diasporic Experience
Research Associate, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies
7thFloor, Kaneff Tower, York University
4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J1P3
+1 437 665 3314 (CA), +30 6973563644 (GR)

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