Figuring out the Enemy: Rethinking Serbian-Albanian Relations
Author(s) Aleksandar Pavlović , Adriana Zaharijević, Gazela Pudar Draško Publisher Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade Beton, Belgrade Published 2015 ISBN 978-86-82417-86-6 Pages 464 Edition Special edition
Figuring out the Enemy: Rethinking Serbian-Albanian Relations is an attempt to re-evaluate Serbian-Albanian mutual negative perceptions, to present a common past and tradition, as well as highlight both historical and current examples of cooperation. In so doing, the book equally provides a critical analysis of contemporary Serbian, Kosovar, and Albanian society. The authors’ intention is to “untie” the knot of the problematic relations between Serbs and Albanians, that is, to grasp the origin of these perceptions and identify the actors who had a hand in them, as well as seek ways to challenge and overcome this enmity. Indeed, treating this enmity as each side’s longstanding discursive construct about “the Other”, scholars and researchers from Serbia, Albania, and Kosovo probe the origin of the political divisions between these two ethnic groups, look at contemporary practices and acts, allowing them to re-examine collective negative perceptions and identify elements of joint, shared history, using examples of historical and present-day cooperation to critically analyze all three societies.