Trading with the enemy in Mitrovica, Kosovo. - RUhosting

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Albanian government, they do show up to meetings if there are talks about something that could be beneficial to them, like the improvement of roads (respondent #3). Respondent #17, an Albanian living in Mitrovica North says:“Safe and careful”. He is convinced that if there is mutual interest then dealing with Serbs is completely safe. He gives an example of Albanian 'builders' (construction workers), who are hired by Serbs in North Mitrovica because they are better and cheaper than Serbs. These Albanians are well known in North Mitrovica: they are recognized in the streets and everyone knows they are Albanians but they are completely safe (Respondent #17). Respondent #2 also illustrated this: one of his family members is a Serbian extreme nationalist, but still hires the Albanian 'builders' because they are cheaper. This whole phenomenon is summarised in one sentence by respondent #15: “When money is involved no one cares about politics”. This effect of "money over politics" is what makes inter-ethnic trade possible. The most visible form of interethnic trade in Mitrovica is happening at a market in Bošnjačka Mahala, an area located in Mitrovica North near the bridge and the river Ibar. Many minorities live there, most notably Bosniaks and also many Albanians. It's an area known for violent incidents in the past. Respondent #17, an Albanian living in Bošnjačka Mahala, says Serbs control that area nowadays: they pick up garbage, for example. This doesn't really cause problems according to him. Until 2003 there really were issues, but not anymore. About the market he says: “The only inter ethnic cooperation in Mitrovica is trade. But the market is controlled by a small group of Serbs who have the power to forbid it whenever it suits them (respondent #17). Many Serbs go to the market however to buy certain things from Albanians or other ethnic groups because it is cheaper (field notes), and when it's cheaper the conflict does not matter so much. There are examples of this as well in South Mitrovica. All Albanian brides go to the north for flowers, for example, because there is a flower shop which is known to be the best in town (respondent #3). Another example is how some more radical Albanians tried to boycott all Serbian products. This didn’t work because those Serbian products were cheaper and better than the Albanian alternatives so Albanians were against the boycott (respondent #2). These cases show again how personal interest, most often related to money, has the power to bridge the ethnic divide. This does not mean people will suddenly like each other but it does create conditions under which people will at least cooperate and interact peacefully. The Albanian director of an NGO aimed at creating businesses and increasing cooperation (respondent #15) believes people need an extra motivation to work with each other, and this motivation is money. “Someone has an interest in bringing Albanians and Serbs together, some others in keeping them apart. They (Serbs) have to be pushed to work together (with Albanians)”. Since the independence cooperation has decreased, he mentions, but if the Serbian community sees they have no other options they will be more willing to work together, he believes. Because now Serbs have everything for themselves so there is no need to work with Albanians (respondent #15). To achieve this he believes in subsidies for businesses with conditions. People get money to start a business, but only if they will also hire members of the other ethnic group as well. He 69
elieves inter-ethnic trade will improve relations and that Albanians would not care to hire Serbs if they get some reward for it (respondent #15). Regarding his subsidies argument I have to add that according to research conducted by CARE in 2006 this does not work. Subsidies cannot be used to improve relations because it's a form of positive discrimination which is in the case of Kosovo - where jobs are so scarce - negative discrimination for the other ethnic group and this only increases tensions. Additionally, it again gives the local population the idea that they are being forced into liking each other, which should be avoided. Trade does not have the disadvantages which subsidies for cooperation have, because it does not rely on (positive) discrimination nor is it being forced by anyone. There is a lot of trade happening between Albanians and Serbs in Mitrovica, something one might not expect based on the animosity between the two ethnic groups. The importance of money, especially in a poor region, creates a special place for trade. Especially because the "the rules of the inter-ethnic game" which were shown to greatly hinder contact are also influenced by the power of money. Although these intra-community rules do also hinder trade, they are less strict in this area. Trade or economic cooperation in general, is one of the few activities in which interethnic contact is allowed. Socialising with members of the other ethnic group may still be forbidden, but when money is involved these rules change, or at least bend. When respondent #2 started working with Albanians his friends and family didn't care because it was for a job: “everybody understands you have to make money”. Although it is more or less allowed to have contact with the other ethnicity for trade or other money-making activities this is still done mostly in secrecy. This becomes clear from my interviews with the traders. An Albanian trader from south Mitrovica keeps everything hidden from his family and most friends, only his best friends know he is trading with Serbs. The reason he gives for this is that people can talk, and that can have “bad consequences” (respondent #7). A Serb trader tells about the same problems, the reaction from the environment was very difficult in the beginning. “It was not accepted to deal with Albanians” (respondent #6). The Albanians he worked with faced the same problems with their own community he noted. Nowadays it's less of a problem but still not very easy. In this paragraph it was shown how money in the extremely poor region of Mitrovica is of such importance that it makes inter-ethnic trade possible despite all the incentives not to engage into contact with "the other". The take of local traders on this will be discussed in the next paragraph. 6.2. The traders. The stories of three Mitrovica-based traders will be told in this paragraph. Earlier in this thesis the troubles with finding traders to interview have been discussed as well as the difficulties that arose when asking the traders for sensitive information about their relations with traders of the other ethnic group. Each trader's individual story will be told here so that it is easier to understand them in their context. After these three stories there will be a short conclusion in which some points of attention will be highlighted. 70
Page 1 and 2:
Nijmegen School of Management, Radb
Page 3 and 4:
TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Page 5 and 6:
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION “Sixteen
Page 7 and 8:
Governmental Organisations (IGO's)
Page 9 and 10:
1.4. Thesis organisation - Short ou
Page 11 and 12:
I learned a lot from it, as I found
Page 13 and 14:
Of the seventeen people interviewed
Page 15 and 16:
interesting experience was organisi
Page 17 and 18:
Mitrovica Serb admitted that when h
Page 19 and 20: CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK "P
Page 21 and 22: 4. Trade encourages the broader exp
Page 23 and 24: Miljacka River, separating the Serb
Page 25 and 26: This part of inter-ethnic trade can
Page 27 and 28: For the largest part of the past 60
Page 29 and 30: “Because of such dissatisfactions
Page 31 and 32: sent all colonists back to Kosovo.
Page 33 and 34: Conditions have improved and the de
Page 35 and 36: Albanians reacted to these new poli
Page 37 and 38: same: First an Albanian village whi
Page 39 and 40: Data from the SOK is sometimes used
Page 41 and 42: the highest aid per capita ever giv
Page 43 and 44: Country % of Export % of Import Alb
Page 45 and 46: which were in turn disbanded in fav
Page 47 and 48: Another similarity between both com
Page 49 and 50: situation developed in favour of th
Page 51 and 52: its economic situation. Mitrovica u
Page 53 and 54: CHAPTER 5: RESULTS Placing inter-et
Page 55 and 56: Albanian” and by Serbs associated
Page 57 and 58: “But I will never accept the inde
Page 59 and 60: Another important reason why reconc
Page 61 and 62: “Everything that happens in Mitro
Page 63 and 64: August 2009 with violent protests a
Page 65 and 66: nationalists” because he believes
Page 67 and 68: (respondent #4). A Serb working in
Page 69: CHAPTER 6: RESULTS Views on the eff
Page 73 and 74: Trader 3. Respondent #7, an Albania
Page 75 and 76: daughter of his sister who went to
Page 77 and 78: issues. On top of that you have to
Page 79 and 80: towards their colleagues of the oth
Page 81 and 82: that even if the legal or the grey
Page 83 and 84: 2004. Second, Blanton argues that "
Page 85 and 86: REFERENCES Andreas, P. (2004). The
Page 87 and 88: Lagazio, M., & Russett, B. (2004).
show all

Trading with the enemy in Mitrovica, Kosovo. - RUhosting

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?