Southeast European politics cannot be understood without taking ethnic minorities into account. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the politics of ethnic minorities, examining both their political parties and issues of social distance, migration, and ethnic boundaries, as well as issues related to citizenship and integration. Coverage includes detailed analyses of Hungarian minority parties in Romania, Albanian minority parties in Macedonia, Serb minority parties in Croatia, Bosniak minority parties in Serbia, and various minority parties in Montenegro, as well as the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, a largely Turkish party, in Bulgaria.

‘This fascinating compilation of articles, skillfully edited, introduced and concluded by Sabrina Ramet and Marko Valenta, focuses on the sometimes bewildering character of ethnic minority politics in Southeastern Europe and the Balkans. Using up-to-date data to document ‘social distance' between ethnic groups and the prevalence of ethnically based parties, the authors help us understand the relationship between ethnic problems and the potential solutions to political crises in the region.'

Norman M. Naimark - Stanford University, California

‘An outstanding, thoroughly informative account of the situation of ethnic minorities in post-socialist Southeastern Europe. The collection of case studies transcends pure description and contributes to theoretically informed debate. The chapters span the region and inform the reader without getting lost in detail, while developing a coherent perspective anchored in social theory … The most important contribution of this volume is in overcoming the simplistic proposition that ethnic heterogeneity leads to instability and conflict. Every chapter discovers a whole array of intervening variables between heterogeneity and political outcomes.'

Duško Sekulić - University of Zagreb