Get to know Dejan Guzina

I received my PhD in political science from Carleton University in Ottawa (January 2000). Prior to joining Laurier in 2001, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Queen’s University (2000-2001) in Kingston, Ont.

I came to Canada from Belgrade, Serbia, in 1990. Even though I received an honours degree in economics in 1984 from Belgrade University, once I moved to Canada I fell in love with all things “political” and gladly “traded” my economics degree for one in political science.

The significant economic, social, and political transformations in the Western Balkans over the past two decades have influenced my academic pursuits and research focus. My work centers on the intersection of comparative democratization and nationalism. Currently, I am examining the correlation between populism and democracy, as well as exploring the politics of memorialization in the Western Balkans, specifically in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro.

• CIGI (Centre for International Governance Innovation, Waterloo) Collaborative Research Award (2014-2015).
• CIGI Collaborative Research Award (2012-2014).
• Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Merit Award (2003/2004).
• Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union Teacher of the Year Award, 2003-2004.

Graduate students interested in topics such as the politics of memorialization and nationalism, populism, the politics of the Western Balkans, and comparative democratization are encouraged to contact me.

My publications can be viewed on wlu-ca.academia.edu/DejanGuzina.

Fall 2024

PO480/PO691E - The Age of Anger and the Rise of Populism

PO484 - Democrats, Despots, Demagogues

Winter 2025

No classes - on Sabbatical