Together with the others NGOs, the Belgrade Circle functioned as the political and moral voice of 'The Other Serbia'. In the period of sanctions and isolation, the Belgrade Circle gained a respectable international reputation – in 1994 and 1995 its delegation was hosted by the French, British and Italian governments.
The first phase of the Belgrade Circle's history could be summed up in a few words: it was a political movement, the civic action, a moral rebellion and the cultural resistance against destructive militaristic politics of Milosevic's regime.
In the period of political engagement (1992-1997) the Belgrade Circle's projects include:
• Saturday Public Sessions
• Civil Dialogue: Bosnia-Croatia-Serbia
• Youth Action for Open Society
• Serbian – Albanian Dialogue
• International student Exchange Program
• Publishing Projects
• Belgrade Circle Journal
SECOND PERIOD: educational programs (1998-2005)
Since 1998 the Belgrade Circle has been presided by Prof. Obrad Savic (formal title: Acting President). In new circumstances it has changed the focus of activities: the forefront is now occupied with strengthening of Civil Society programs and educational and cultural projects. The new strategic goal is civic education – re-education of citizens towards accepting liberal-democratic values which form the normative basis for democratic transformation and stabilization of Serbian state and society. In conducting such projects, the Belgrade Circle has been cooperating with many universities and academic intellectuals in former Yugoslavia, Europe and USA. In the same period, we have been in co-partners relationship with similar non-governmental organizations in the region and Europe.
During this period Belgrade Circle operates through the following educational and publishing projects:
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• In Defense of the University
• Balkan as Classroom
• Transitional Justice in the Former Yugoslavia
• Belgrade Circle School
• Edition KRUG – local authors
• Belgrade Circle Journal – international, bilingual journal
• Edition CIRCULUS – international authors
• Edition COLLECTANEA – collections and readers
International seminars
So far the Belgrade Circle has organized and conducted more than 30 international seminars, hosting more than 100 lecturers from USA, Western and Eastern Europe, and Balkan region. Many of them came as guests of the DEMOCRACY SEMINARS, (1998-2002) a project originally conducted in cooperation with the New School for Social Research (New York, USA).
Our special guest speakers were: Prof. Jacques Derrida (France); Prof. Terry Eagleton (England); Prof. Anthony Giddens (England); Prof. Richard Rorty (USA); Prof. Christopher Norris (England); Prof. Allison Jagger (USA); Prof. Donald Davidson (USA); Prof. Richard Bernstein (USA); Hans Magnus Enzesberger (Germany); Prof. Peggy Kamuf (USA); Prof. Drucilla Cornel (USA); Prof. Ann Snitow (USA); Prof. Albrecht Wellmer (Grmany); Prof. Hauke Brunkhorst (Germany); Prof. Eduardo Cadava (USA); Prof. David Wills (USA); and Prof. Statis Gourgouris (USA).
Many speakers who took part in the Belgrade Circle's Democratic seminars are distinguished academics who in the name of international solidarity and unconditioned politics of friendship offered their full political, intellectual and moral support to the Belgrade Circle.
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