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Women’s Activism in the Civil Resistance Movement in Kosovo (1989–1997): Characteristics, Development, Encounters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2020

Itziar Mujika Chao Open the ORCID record for Itziar Mujika Chao [Opens in a new window]
Itziar Mujika Chao*
Affiliation:
Department of International Public Law, International Relations and History of Law, and Hegoa Institute for International Cooperation and Development Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain
*
*Corresponding author. Email: itziar.mujika@ehu.eus
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Abstract

This article analyzes women’s socio-political participation and activism within the nonviolent civil resistance movement in prewar Kosovo between 1989 and 1997, as well as the movement’s gender dynamics. This Albanian-led resistance movement emerged during the early 1990s with the principal goal of building a parallel state, seeking independence from Serbia, and offering means of survival for the population. This project required the participation of all Albanian citizens, and although the participation of women was massive, this has gone largely unrecognized. This article will explore the principal features of women’s participation and activism within this movement, what kind of gendered dynamics were developed, and the principal forms of resistance they encountered against their full and active participation through an analysis of women’s activism both within the Women’s Forum of the Democratic League of Kosovo and within independent women’s organizations.

Keywords

Kosovocivil resistancenonviolencegenderwomen’s activism
Type
Article
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 48 , Issue 5 , September 2020 , pp. 843 - 860
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Copyright
© Association for the Study of Nationalities 2020

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Interviews

Interview with international activist in the civil resistance movement, June 20, 2012. Madrid.Google Scholar
Interview with activist since the civil resistance movement, July 28, 2013. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance, July 30, 2013. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with academic and women’s rights activist since the last war, August 1, 2013. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement, August 6, 2013. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement, August 7, 2013, and December 27, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with researcher and women’s rights activist after the last war, August 7, 2013. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with activist in the civil resistance movement, women’s rights activist since the last war, August 9, 2013, and February 26, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with researcher and women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement, February 21, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the last war, belonging to a minority ethnic community. February 27, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the last war, March 2, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with politician (LDK) since the civil resistance movement, March 17, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement, March 12, 2014, March 28, 2014, and December 19, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with politician (LDK) since the civil resistance movement, March 18, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement, March 18, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with politician (LDK) since the civil resistance movement, March 19, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with activist in the civil resistance movement, politician after the last war, March 26, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement by author and Kosovar researcher and academic, December 19, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement by the author and Kosovar researcher and academic, December 19, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement by the author and Kosovar researcher and academic, December 29, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with politician (LDK) in the civil resistance movement and early years after the last war by Kosovar researcher and academic, May 13, 2015. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with politician before the civil resistance movement by Kosovar researcher and academic, April 22, 2015. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with activist since the civil resistance movement, March 17, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement, March 19, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with activist in the civil resistance movement, December 15, 2015. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the last war, February 26, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist in the civil resistance movement, May 8, 2015.Google Scholar
Interview with activist since the civil resistance movement, February 27, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the civil resistance movement and researcher and academic since the last war, June 20, 2015.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the last war, August 12, 2013. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with activist since the civil resistance movement, March 14, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar
Interview with women’s rights activist since the last war, February 25, 2014. Prishtina.Google Scholar