Civic and Uncivic Values in Kosovo

History, politics, and value transformation
ISBN: 
978-963-386-073-1
cloth
$111.00 / €95.00 / £90.00
ISBN: 
978-963-386-098-4
paperback
$40.95 / €33.95 / £29.95
Publication date: 
2015
448 pages (including figures and tables)

This volume is based on the conviction that the key to the establishment of stable liberal democracy anywhere in the world - in this case, in Kosovo - lies in the completion of three interrelated tasks: The creation of effective political institutions based on the principle of the separation of powers (including the independence of the judiciary), the implementation of the rule of law, and the promotion of civic values, including tolerance of ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, trust, and respect for the harm principle. In Kosovo, there are problems across all three measures, including judicial independence, the rule of law, and especially, civic values. Research shows that the citizens of Kosovo rank extremely low on trust of other citizens, engagement in social organizations, and tolerance of gays, lesbians, and atheists, but high on trust in the political institutions of their country along with a great deal of pride in their newly independent state.

Preface
List of Tables
List of Figures

1. Civic and Uncivic Values in Kosovo: An Introduction
Sabrina P. Ramet

I. History

2. A Short History of Kosovar Albanians’ Struggle for Independence, 1878–1998
Roberto Morozzo della Rocca

3. Historiography in Post-Independence Kosovo
Oliver Jens Schmitt

4. British Policy towards the Kosova Liberation Army, 1996–2000
James Pettifer

5. The Uprising and NATO’s Intervention, 1998–99
Zachary T. Irwin

6. The International Presence in Kosovo, 1999–2008
Johanna Deimel

II. Politics

7. The Development of the Political System since February 2008
Altuğ Günal

8. The Serbs of Kosovo
Florian Bieber

9. “Our Men Will Not Have Amnesia”: Civic Engagement, Emancipation, and Gendered Public in Kosovo
Nita Luci and Linda Gusia

10. Solving the Issue of Northern Kosovo and Regional Cooperation
Dušan Janjić

III. Values and Value Transformation

11. Kosova 1912–2000 in the History Textbooks of Kosova and Serbia
Shkëlzen Gashi

12. Civic Values in Kosovo within a European Perspective
Kristen Ringdal

13. Differences in Values between and among Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo
Albert Simkus and Shemsi Krasniqi

14. Political Support in Kosovo
Karin Dyrstad

IV. Conclusion

15. Kosovo as an International Problem
Anton Bebler

16. Can Dialogue Make a Difference? The Experience of the Nansen Dialogue Network
Steinar Bryn

17. The Roots of Instability and the Prerequisites of Stability in Kosovo: A Conclusion
Sabrina P. Ramet and Albert Simkus

Notes on Contributors
Further Reading

"I highly recommend the book Civic and Uncivic Values in Kosovo for its comprehensive discussion of the Kosovo case and deep insights into the situation of the region – insights imperative to the development of strategies for Kosovo’s consolidation, as well as consolidation of other Western Balkan countries. The book offers comprehensive insight into the complexities of both the Serbian and Albanian communities, and particularly their traumas and narratives, which have to be taken into consideration when addressing the difficult issues of the recent past. We need to draw proper lessons from failures: the changes we are hoping for can take place only if societies themselves have been prepared to embrace them. And this book clearly charts this course."
"This volume provides insights and relevant material for practitioners of European studies, sociology, and political science. Researchers and other students of politics, sociology, the Balkans and specifically Kosovo will find this book very useful and helpful in order to better understand the relationship between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo and the historical context of statebuilding in the country. This volume makes a contribution to the extensive literature for scholars who are focusing their research on state-building in Kosovo and the path to reconciliation."