The Balkans have always been viewed from the European centers as the foreign, exotic, and backward region. Marie-Janine Calic writes the history of Southeast Europe as a world history and questions the common stereotypes about the area. The inhabitants of Southeast Europe share many common experiences, and to this day, their fates are closely intertwined. However, a shared identity is still elusive. Instead, a unique diversity has developed here, thanks in no small part to regional connections. The development and transformation of Southeast Europe from antiquity to the present are therefore not only explained from within the region itself but are also re-examined from a global historical perspective. It becomes clear that the exchange with the rest of the world has played a much larger role than is found in common historical narratives.