External vs. Internal: Spatial Opposition in M. Vișniec’s “Balkan Trilogy”

Abstract

The article explores spatial oppositions in two plays by Matei Vișniec from the “Balkan Trilogy” – “The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield in the Bosnian War” (1996–1997) and “The Word Progress on my Mother’s Lips Doesn’t Ring True” (2005). It analyzes binary structures (external/ internal, West/Balkans, life/death, open/closed) at physical, symbolic, and corporeal levels, revealing their role in representing the trauma of the Balkan conflicts. These oppositions express the ambivalence of spaces: the Balkans as a locus of suffering and memory are contrasted with the West, symbolizing order yet also cynicism; the open world, while offering possibilities, appears unsafe and is opposed to the closed world as non-threatening yet lifeless. Boundaries (national, bodily, symbolic) serve as key elements of the plays’ poetics. At the corporeal level, the loss of agency (through rape, prostitution) and its restoration through action are examined. Despite the grim context, the plays’ endings offer optimism: characters regain agency by choosing between integration into the “external” world or revival of the “internal” one (homeland/ home). The article emphasizes that for Vișniec, overcoming trauma involves actively inhabiting/reclaiming space and regaining control over one’s own history.

Received: 01.08.2025.
Revised: 10.09.2025.
Accepted: 16.09.2025.

Citation
Usacheva A. V. External vs. Internal: Spatial Opposition in M. Vișniec’s “Balkan Trilogy” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 233–244 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.12