by LACIS Communications Assistant, Emma Nelson
With generous support from the Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies (LACIS) Program, Professor Ksenija Bilbija traveled to Belgrade, Serbia. Bilbija represented the University of Wisconsin-Madison at the IV CIBAM/CLACSO Forum: Latin America and the Balkans: Cultural and Social Connections, on July 13th and 14th, 2026. The conference took place at the University of Novi Sad in Novi Sad, Serbia.
The forum brought together scholars from around the world to discuss the nuanced and intricate relationship between Latin America and the Balkans. The forum offered researchers from countries such as Romania, Montenegro, Austria, and more the opportunity to engage with research spanning topics of history, literature, media, and more.
The conference offered Professor Ksenija Bilbija an opportunity to present her research “Hay un vínculo secreto”: Tango as Cultural Translation Between Latin America and the Balkans to renowned scholars. The research presented by Bilbija exlpores the tango beyond just an art form and performance, but what it represents within the concept of cultural exchange, allowing for cross-cultural connection. Upon reflection, she stated that “one of the most memorable aspects of the conference was the realization that cultural dialogue often begins with shared emotions rather than shared histories. My presentation focused on Milonga strasnih senki: I to je tango, an anthology that approaches tango not simply as music or dance, but as a way of understanding the world”.
Bilbija’s research analyzes the secret connection specifically shared between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Belgrade, Serbia. Bilbija refers to a bond “forged through nostalgia, defeat, exile, melancholic humor, and the stubborn determination to keep dancing when everything seems lost”. This emotional connection inspired Milonga strasnih senki: I to je tango (Milonga of Passionate Shadows: Tango Is That Too), an anthology written in collaboration with Branko Anđić. The text notes that Belgrade is a European epicenter of the tango, distinguished by its internationally recognized tango events. Understanding the role of the tango in Belgrade raises the question of why it has become an important art form within the culture in the first place. Drawing on Homi Bhabha’s theory of cultural translation, Bilbija discusses how this translation creates a “third space”– a space where new meanings emerge. With this perspective, she concludes that the tango speaks to “human vulnerability”. Tango offers a way to translate “an understanding of the world”, allowing for Latin American and Balkan traditions to generate new connections and communities across continents.
The discussions that followed her presentation confirmed that many participants recognized in tango themes that resonate far beyond the Río de la Plata: migration, nostalgia, loss, resilience, and the search for belonging. Another rewarding moment for Bilbija was the opportunity to discuss the anthology itself as an example of cultural translation. Several colleagues were intrigued that this book does not exist in Argentina or anywhere else in the Spanish-speaking world. It is an editorial project conceived in Serbia that reimagines Latin American literature through a Balkan perspective. These conversations reinforced Bilbija’s belief that “translation is not only about moving texts across languages but also about creating new cultural objects and new ways of reading”.
Bilbija walked away from the conference strong in her beliefs that more attention should be given to editorial work within translation studies. Projects such as her own, in Milonga strasnih senki, highlight that editors and translators also serve as creators of new literary objects, shaping new ways of reading a given text. She discussed her developed interest in further exploring emotional communities across the Atlantic, “particularly the unexpected affinities between Latin America and the Balkans”. She found it intriguing to understand “how literature creates shared affective spaces across distant histories and geographies,” discussing how she hopes this perspective’s influence future research and editorial projects.
Bilbija closed by defining the experience as “inspiring and intellectually generous”. The conference offered a reflective opportunity for her identity as a scholar of Latin American literature and a translator and editor. The anthology offers a new perspective on the “tango, translation, and cultural dialogue between Latin America and the Balkans”. Throughout the conference, Bilbija’s numerous conversations and interactions reaffirmed her belief that “books do more than travel across languages—they also create new spaces of dialogue, allowing different traditions to meet and reinterpret one another”.
Leaving with new inspirations and perspectives, Ksenija is excited to start exploring soccer, a passion shared by both Balkan and Latin American nations. A deep dive has begun into stories and a format to best encapsulate the shared passion for the game.