Montenegrin Political Emigration: Organisation, Activism, and the National Question, 1921–1936
Dissertationsprojekt von Nikola Zečević
Betreuerin: Prof. Marie-Janine Calic
This dissertation examines Montenegrin political emigration between 1921 and 1936, focusing on its organisation, political activity, and changing approaches to the national question. It traces the decline of the government-in-exile after 1921, the fragmentation of the movement, the passport affair, and the relocation of émigré activity to the United States. It then explores the emergence of a new generation of activists, their networks across Europe and the Americas, and the role of émigré periodicals and the Montenegrin National Defence. Drawing on archival, diplomatic, intelligence, and press sources, the study analyses changing ideas of statehood, legitimacy, Yugoslavism, and national identity, as well as increasingly individualised forms of émigré activism during the 1930s.
Curriculum Vitae
Born in Ivangrad (Montenegro), he holds a Bachelor’s and an MA degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Montenegro. He also earned an MA in Modern History from the University of Kent (United Kingdom) having been awarded the Chevening Scholarship by the UK Government. He is currently engaged in PhD studies in Eastern and South Eastern European History at LMU Munich.
Awards
• 2016 - Young Scientist Award by Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts
• 2017 - Scholarship of Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia
• 2018 - Visegrad Scholarship
• 2021 - OeAD Scholarship of the Republic of Austria
• 2022 - Chevening Scholarship funded by the UK Government
• 2025 – Western Balkans–Visegrad Fellowship funded by International Visegrad Fund
• 2025 – Queen Jadwiga Scholarship funded by Jagiellonian University in Krakow
Recent publications
• N. Zečević (2026), The Montenegrin Government in Exile and Yugoslav Unification: A Losing Battle in the League of Nations, 1920–1922, Europe-Asia Studies, 1–23, Routledge.
• N. Zečević (2025), Njegoš Chapel and Mausoleum: Shifting Heritage and Identity Politics in Montenegro. In: Saloul, I., Baillie, B. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Nikola Zečević (2021), Europeanising History to (Re)construct the Statehood Narrative: The Reinterpretation of World War One in Montenegro. In: Milošević A., Trošt T. (eds) Europeanisation and Memory Politics in the Western Balkans. Memory Politics and Transitional Justice. Palgrave Macmillan.