Editing Balkanization (section)

== Origins of the term ==
Coined in the early 20th century, the term "Balkanization" traces its origins to the depiction of events during the [[Balkan Wars]] (1912–1913) and the [[First World War]] (1914–1918). It did not emerge during the gradual secession of Balkan nations from the [[Ottoman Empire]] over the 19th century, but was coined at the end of the First World War. [[Albania]] was the only addition to the existing Balkan map at that time, as other nations had already formed in the nineteenth century.<ref>{{Citation |last=Todorova |first=Maria |title=Balkan as a Concept |date=2022 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77954-2_185 |encyclopedia=The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Peace and Conflict Studies |pages=75 |access-date=2023-11-23 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-77954-2_185 |isbn=978-3-030-77953-5 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The term was initially employed by journalists and politicians, who used it as a conceptual tool to interpret the evolving global order resulting from the collapse of the Habsburg and Romanov Empires and the subsequent secession of Balkan nations following the Ottoman Empire's disintegration in the nineteenth century. After the [[Second World War]] (1939–1945), the term underwent significant development, expanding beyond its original context to encompass diverse fields such as linguistics, demography, information technology, gastronomy, and more. This expansion extended its descriptive reach to various phenomena, often with pejorative connotations. In response, critical scholars in the late 20th and early 21st centuries sought to denaturalize and reclaim 'balkanization'.<ref name=":0" />