Violence, War, and Gender: Collective Memory and Politics of Remembrance in Kosovo

This chapter seeks to provide knowledge on the politics of collective memory and remembrance by focusing on the violence, war and gender issues through the lenses of media productions in the framework of EU integration. Although, Kosovo has signed the Stabilisation and Accession Agreement with the EU and thus formally established this relation with the EU, the country struggles to deal with the past in the framework of EU integration. In absence of political actions by the state actors, the NGO and media sector took over actions of collective memory and remembrance politics. This chapter looks at the burning questions from two perspectives. First perspective will be the analysis of data from political parties discourses in public communication and the dichotomy of EU integration and dealing with the past. Second perspective looks at the grassroots approach to politics of memorialization and proactive role in dealing with the past from looking at the journalist and civil society perceived roles. So far, data suggests that the civil society and media is taking over the public discourses by taking artistic and formal actions in dealing with the past. NGOs and media has collaborated much more closely also with Serbia in absence of need for political will.