1st Edition

Kosovo The Politics of Identity and Space

By Dr Denisa Kostovicova Copyright 2005
    344 Pages
    by Routledge

    340 Pages
    by Routledge

    Kosovo: The Politics of Identity and Space explores the Albanian-Serbian confrontation after Slobodan Milosevic's rise to power and the policy of repression in Kosovo through the lens of the Kosovo education system. The argument is woven around the story of imposed ethnic segregation in Kosovo's education, and its impact on the emergence of exclusive notions of nation and homeland among the Serbian and Albanian youth in the 1990s. The book also critically explores the wider context of the Albanian non-violent resistance, including the emergence of the parallel state and its weaknesses. Kosovo: The Politics of Identity and Space not only provides an insight into events that led to the bloodshed in Kosovo in the late 1990s, but also shows that the legacy of segregation is one of the major challenges the international community faces in its efforts to establish an integrated multi-ethnic society in the territory.

    Introduction, 1. Albanian educational battles: from the Ottomans to the Communists 2. Education and national mobilization in Kosovo in the 1980s 3. The path to Kosovo's two national education systems 4. The establishment of the Albanian parallel education in Kosovo 5. Celebration of Albanian nationhood in parallel education 6. Segregation in Kosovo prevails before and after NATO intervention, Conclusion

    Biography

    Denisa Kostovicova is a Research Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has published articles on nationalism and post-war reconciliation in the Balkans and on the challenges of the region’s integration with Europe.

    'The study is based on an impressive account of the empirical situation as well as provides a comprehensive theoretical bibliography.' - West European Politics, Vol. 29