Points of intersection? : Investigating identity formation processes of the public and private spheres in Kosovo

In 2008 political leaders in Kosovo unilaterally declared independence, thereby calling into being a new state, the status of which remains a matter of dispute today. With the creation of said state, a new citizenship was brought into being, potentially adding an additional layer of belonging or identification. In reality this citizenship has been received in a multitude of ways by those who living in Kosovo, with reactions ranging from enthusiastic acceptance to outright rejection. In addition, changed social, political and legal circumstances have given rise to reconfigured yet unstable cultural conditions in which identities are now being formed. My research investigates various narratives of identification being created in Kosovo today from the perspectives of both the public sphere and the private individual. Furthermore, it seeks to look at the levels of influence which these spheres might exert on one another. The hypothesis suggests that public actors, such as political parties, international organisations, the media or cultural institutions, present a variety of (competing) identity narratives to members of society. The aim, therefore, is to research the extent to which these public narratives are seen to permeate to the level of the individual, and become (re)organised or (re)structured into the personal narrative. The paper posits an applied research approach for the investigation of this issue. In particular, it will focus on how different social methods are applied to help one discover more about the processes of identity formation in a complex, dynamic and unsettled context such as present-day Kosovo.