Designed to inform the Bates and Lewiston-Auburn communities about the unfolding events in Europe, Browne and Danforth will make brief presentations about their areas of expertise, followed by questions from the audience.

Danforth received critical acclaim for his recent book The Macedonian Conflict: Ethnic Nationalism in a Transitional World (Princeton University Press, 1997). Danforth examines the Macedonian conflict– set in the broader context of Balkan history and the more narrow context of the disintegration of Yugoslavia– in light of contemporary theoretical work on ethnic nationalism, the construction of national identities and cultures, the invention of tradition and the role of the state in building a nation.

Browne, an expert in Balkan language, literature and culture as well as Russian popular culture, has traveled frequently to Yugoslavia and Croatia, and communicates regularly with friends and colleagues in Serbia. He is critical of U.S. And NATO policies leading to and following the Paris peace talks.

As part of their week-long visit to Bates, Obrad Savic and Natasha Lazovic will also show a film, Predictions of Fire, at 7 p.m. Oct. 8, in Room 105 of the Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St. The public is invited to attend both events free of charge.

Savic is the founder of Belgrade Circle, a non-governmental organization which provides a voice of opposition to the war in Yugoslavia and the Milosevic regime and supports a democratic civil society which would protect human rights. Belgrade Circle maintains ties with similar dissident groups throughout the former Yugoslavia, with contacts in Sarajevo, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Skopje. Savic, who received his doctoral degree from Zagreb University in what is now Croatia, teaches philosophy and cultural criticism at Belgrade University and is the author of several books and articles.

Lazovic, a student at the university and a Belgrade Circle activist, hosted Bates students during a recent college Short Term program which visited Belgrade and Zagreb in May.

Dennis Browne, associate professor of Russian at Bates and the leader of the Short Term program, which produced documentaries based on interviews with lifelong residents of the two cities, will host Savic and Lazovic during their stay.

Located midway between the coast and mountains in south-central Maine, Bates is a 142-year-old undergraduate college of the liberal arts and sciences and is rated among the top 25 national liberal-arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report. Bates offers majors in 23 academic departments and six interdisciplinary programs, and encourages independent study, research in collaboration with faculty members and participation in off-campus programs. Bates does not require standardized-test results for admission.