The Future of International Education: Virtualizing the World
Teaching Istria (Croatia) to Americans — Notes from an Emeritus Professor
Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte’s Voyagers Club on November 18 for an extraordinary evening of conversation, cuisine, and curiosity as we welcome Dr. Tomislav Longinović, Ph.D., one of today’s most thought-provoking voices in global education, literature, and cultural studies. A renowned scholar and award-winning author, Dr. Longinović explores identity, language, and cultural transformation in a rapidly globalizing world. His upcoming talk, “The Future of International Education: Virtualizing the World,” will examine how technology, AI, and digital learning are reshaping cross-cultural exchange, redefining global citizenship, and expanding access to education beyond borders.
Following dinner, guests will have the rare opportunity to engage in an in-depth Q&A with Dr. Longinović, an open forum to discuss the intersection of culture, connectivity, and the evolving landscape of international education and knowledge building.
This intimate evening promises to be both intellectually enriching and deeply inspiring, offering a glimpse into how education is adapting to an increasingly virtual world while maintaining the human connections that make it meaningful.
- WACC Voyagers Club (November 18, 2025) – DOWNLOAD LINK
Program Information:
Date:
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Check-In:
6:15 – 6:30 p.m.
Dinner & Discussion
6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Location:
Private Home in South Park (*Address will be provided upon confirmation of registration)
Cost:
$20 (WACC Member Rate) | $35 (Non-Member Rate)
Dinner from Mama Ricotta’s will be provided, along with wine. Guests are welcome to bring their own beverages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) if they prefer.
- Please call 704-687-7762 to make a credit card payment over the phone.
- Checks can be mailed to “World Affairs Council of Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., CHHS 227, Charlotte, NC 28223.”
Biography:
Tomislav Z. Longinović graduated in Clinical Psychology from the University of Belgrade in 1981, with a thesis The Influence of Psychedelic Research on Identity Theory and Therapy. He continued his education in the USA and obtained an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa in 1984, with the novel Moment of Silence as his master’s thesis. He earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Iowa in 1990, with the dissertation The Improbable Universe: Ideology, Identity and Borderline Poetics in the Twentieth Century Slavic Novel.
For decades, he worked at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a Professor of Slavic Studies, Comparative Literature, and Visual Culture. He also served as Department Chair (2000, 2008) and Director of the international seminar in Rovinj, Croatia. As a Visiting Professor, he taught at Harvard (2001, 2016) and the Central European University in Budapest (1999–2000, 2003).
Research Areas: South Slavic literatures and cultures, literary theory, cultural studies, translation, and visual culture.
Scholarly Works: Longinović is a prolific author whose works combine cultural theory, literary analysis, and identity studies.
Main Books
Borderline Culture: The Politics of Identity in Four Twentieth Century Slavic Novels (1993).
Red Knight: Serbian Women Songs (1992, co-edited and compiled with Daniel Weissbort).
Vampires Like Us: Writing Down “the Serbs” (2005).
Vampire Nation: Violence as Cultural Imaginary (2011, Duke University Press) – a work that
analyzes the metaphor of “Serbian vampirism” in the media and culture; awarded the Mihajlo
Miša Đorđević Award for the best book in Serbian studies in 2012.
Vampires Over the Ages: A Cultural Analysis of Scientific, Literary and Cinematic
Representations (2013).
Гранична култура: Политика идентитета у четири словенска романа двадесетог века
(2013, in Serbian).
Prose and Other Works
Novels: Moment of Silence (English, 1990), Сама Америка [Alone America/Just America] (Serbian, 1995).
The novel Фетиш Нуло [Fetish Zero] (2020) won the Jovan Skerlić (2020) and Rastko Petrović (2021) awards.
Public Work and Editorial Activity
He was the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Serbian Literary Studies (Novi Sad). Member of academic boards at the University of Ohrid (Macedonia) and the College of Communications in Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Contributed as a reviewer for leading global journals (PMLA, Slavic Review) and as a member of the associations MLA, AAASS, ACLA, ICLA.
Therapeutic Practice: RADA
In addition to his academic work, Longinović developed the RADA (Radical Deconstructive Action) method – a body-oriented personal development practice that integrates breathing, movement, and the body-mind. He is currently working on a manual for this technique.
Awards and Recognition
Dimitrije Mitrinović (2022, Ars Longa) – for exceptional contribution to Serbian culture.
Jovan Skerlić (2020) and Rastko Petrović (2021) – for the novel Фетиш Нуло.
Mihajlo Miša Đorđević (2012) – for the book Vampire Nation.