Reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

The Balkans have long been known as the “powder keg” of Europe and the area of former Yugoslavia as a particularly volatile region. Kosovo as the latest red zone on the territory of former Yugoslavia is the main point of conflict between the Serbian and Albanian ethnic communities. The war ended in 1999, but the post-conflict reality in which these ethnic communities share the same space yet live in parallel worlds is still ongoing twenty two years after the conflict. So where does the rapprochement between these two ethnic communities stand in this kind of reality? The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of genuine, state sponsored reconciliation process between the two ethnically divided c« ities in Kosovo. My intention is to take a closer look at the process of reconciliation from the bottom-up, people-centered perspective, and to analyze the elements that hinder the process as well as the real needs of local

ities in order to coexistence and to reconcile with one another. For this purpose, I used qualitative data analysis. The results obtained in this analysis imply that reconciliation is possible but not before the Serbian and Kosovo societies deal with the past, deconstruct myths and prejudice, define collective truth and rehumanize “the other”. lIn other words, reconciliation between the Serbian and Albanian

communities in Kosovo is possible, if people embrace an inclusive vision of a society in

which there is room for everyone.