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(2/5) As a bilingual Croatian/Brit, studying classical and foreign languages has both broadened my outlook. But in my Croatian case, it had an ironic twist—it left me a bit alienated from Croatians, and now I sometimes feel like a foreigner in both countries, lol 😆

(3/5) I grew up in Yugoslavia under communism, so I know democracy isn’t the only model. What strikes me is how little Yugoslav history gets studied in Oxbridge circles. Beyond Rory Yeomans, few engage with it—even though its collapse shows how complex internal dynamics can undo a state.

(4/5) Storytelling really is key. While Australian First Nations sustained oral traditions for millennia, Croatians—with historically low literacy rates—became champions of collective amnesia. In Croatia history is still treated as a dry handbook of facts, not as a living narrative.

@josephinequinn.bsky.social

(5/5) To wrap up: fantastic discussion—would love to see you back on Novara Media, or even on some of my favourite podcasts like ppf+, in the future. 🙂

Josephine Quinn

Thanks very much! And totally agreed on the odd ignorance/ignoring of the Balkans in UK. I recently watched the amazing documentary ‘The death of Yugoslavia’ (originally BBC, but all on YouTube now) which is a fascinating example of instant story-telling/making by the central actors on all sides.

(1/3) Thanks for the tip—I found it on iPlayer. There’s storytelling in there, sure, but because it’s the BBC. Croatians and other post-YU nations lean towards that dry, methodical style, lacking a sense of lived experience. Like watching life through a telescope instead of a frog’s eye view. 😅

16/9/25, 8:54 am0 reposts0 likes

16 Sept 2025

(2/3) I’ve just started the intro of your book, and I also don’t buy the idea of “civilisations”—connections tell the real story. For example, Croatians call themselves a “Catholic nation” but don’t even know Middle Eastern Christians exist. Real life is always messier than neat civilisation boxes.