Milan Balažic | |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | (1958-10-19)19 October 1958 (age 67) Ljubljana, Yugoslavia |
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Alma mater | Faculty of Social Sciences,University of Ljubljana |
Milan Balažic (born 19 October 1958) is aSlovenianpoliticaltheorist,politician anddiplomat.
Balažic was born inLjubljana,Slovenia, then part of formerYugoslavia, to a family originating fromPrekmurje. In 1985 he graduated inpolitical science from theUniversity of Ljubljana, with the thesis The critic of scientific objectivism: monopoly capital and revolutionary subject. In 1994 he obtained his PhD under the supervision ofRastko Močnik, analysing the approaches ofFrankfurt School andLacan'spsychoanalysis to the social and political field.
As a student, he was the editor-in-chief of the student paper Tribuna[1] and a member of the editorial board of the Journal for the Criticism of Science.
In the period of theSlovene Spring Balažic was a member of the Alliance of Socialist Youth of Slovenia, the autonomous branch of theCommunist Party.[2] At the time of theJBTZ trial[3] he acted as its representative in theIgor Bavčar'sCommittee for the Defence of Human Rights.[4] He was the vice president of theLeague of Communists of Slovenia where he led, together withBorut Pahor[5] the pro-reformist wing which advocated social-democratisation of the party, immediate implementation of democracy, joining theEuropean Union and independent Slovenia. Later he became a member of the rulingLiberal Democracy of Slovenia. In the1992 Slovenian parliamentary election, he was elected a member of theNational Assembly of Slovenia.[6] During the 10-day war in Slovenia he attended the parliamentary sessions wearing the military uniform of the territorial defence forces. In 2016 he established the political movement The New Future.
In 1996 Balažic continued his career in diplomacy. At theMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Slovenia)[7] he held the position of an undersecretary of state and acted as the head of the Department for Analysis and Development. He was the founder of the first Slovenian diplomatic academy. In 2008 he took the position of state secretary for strategic affairs and the Ministry's official spokesman.[8] Between 2011 and 2014 he served as the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia toAustralia,New Zealand,Indonesia andAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations.
Between 1999 and 2011 Balažic was a professor in a political science and the head of the Department of Political Science[9] at theUniversity of Ljubljana. He also lectured at universities and diplomatic academies inEurope,Asia andAustralia. His academic work can generally be categorised as politically philosophical and psychoanalytically epistemological. The first part of his writing is predominantly dedicated to the analysis of the era of Slovenian democratisation and independence, whereas the second part addresses the influence ofpsychoanalysis on social sciences.
Balažic is also a political commentator and columnist in a daily papers and magazines.[10] The main thread is his support for social sustainability, liberal reforms, deregulation and privatisation.
Balažic is an active tennis player, mountaineer and guitarist. He was a bass player in the cult Slovenian punk rock band Lublanski psi.[citation needed] He is also the author of two books of poetry.
Since 2006 Balažic has been in a relationship with the Lacanian psychoanalyst and philosopherNina Krajnik.
(Some are in Slovene.)
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