The emergence of a nation: writers and fighters as agents

Abstract

Kosovo declared its independence nine years ago, and, with more than 100 UN countries recognizing the new country already, it has emerged as a new nation on the political map of the world. The article discusses Kosovo’s emergence as a nation and state and its ramifications for political discourse and indeed national or pan-national politics in Kosovo and Albania in the first place. How did writers and fighters – representatives of cultural enlightenment and militant struggle – create an autonomous Kosovar polity initially, before it became an independent country in its own right at the turn of the century and millennium? Will there soon be separate histories of Albanian and Kosovar national literature, culture, art, etc., against this backdrop? These and a range of other issues will be explored.