Europeanization and Statebuilding as Everyday Practices; Performing Europe in the Western Balkans; 1

This book provides a critical understanding of Europeanization and statebuilding in the Western Balkans, using the notion of everyday practices. This volume argues that it is everyday and mundane events that provide the entry points to showcase a broader set of practices of Europeanization in countries outside the EU. It does this by tracing notions of Europeanization in the everyday statebuilding of Kosovo, Europe Day celebrations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, urban politics in Tirana, and space and place making in Skopje. In doing so, the book shows that everyday events tell us that as much as it is about changing structures, institutions, and economic models, Europeanization is also about changing behaviours and ideas in populations at large. At the same time, the work shows that countries outside the EU use everyday events to perform their belonging to Europe. This book will be of much interest to students of European Studies, Balkan politics, statebuilding, and International Relations generally. Europeanization and Statebuilding as Everyday Practices Cover -1 Endorsements 2 Half Title 4 Series Page 5 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Dedication 8 Contents 10 List of Figures 12 Acknowledgements 13 1. Europeanization as statebuilding, Statebuilding as Europeanization: Everyday performative acts in the Western Balkans 14 The case for a performative turn in EU studies 14 Towards critical Europeanization 17 EU and the "Western Balkans" 19 The performative and the everyday 22 Structure of the book 27 Notes 29 Bibliography 29 2. Kosovo: A EUropean state is born 35 Introduction 35 From UNMIK to EULEX ... 36 ... To a postmodernist aporia 41 The road to independence 41 2008: Kosovo is born 43 A new flag is born 45 A new national anthem is born 46 From "Newborn" to "Young Europeans" 48 Conclusion: a permanent non-European 50 Notes 52 Bibliography 52 Annex I 55 3. Fantasies of Islam and EUrope: The case of public intellectuals in Kosovo 56 Introduction 56 Religion, Islam and Kosovo 59 Fantasies of Europe 61 In the name of Europe 62 Conclusion: between secular fundamentalism, paranoid nationalism and orientalism 66 Notes 70 Bibliography 70 4. Performing Europe through rainbow flags: Of LGBT politics in Pristina 74 Homophobia, pride parades and Kosovo: understanding a paradox 74 Pre-war activism in Kosovo and Yugoslavia: what LGBT+? 76 Feminist encounters and the first lesbian wedding in former Yugoslavia 78 LGBT+, democracy and International Statebuilding 79 LGBT+ and Europeanization 82 Rainbow flags, and EUrope: a meta-performance 83 Conclusion 89 Notes 90 Notes 90 Bibliography 90 Annex I 94 Annex II 95 Annex III 96 Annex IV 97 Annex V 98 5. Celebrating and Fantasizing EUrope in Sarajevo 99 Introduction 99 International statebuilding in Bosnia and Herzegovina: building a EUropean state 100 European places and spaces 104 European activities 110 European subjects 112 Conclusion 114 Notes 114 Bibliography 115 6. "Tirana will not be Calcutta": European activities and aesthetics in Tirana 119 Introduction 119 Albania: a rocky road from communism 121 City space as a projected European space 122 Staging and performing Europe 123 Lecturing Europe 126 Imagining Europe via orientalizing non-Europe 128 Conclusion 131 Note 131 Bibliography 131 7. If only statues could talk!: The making of European Macedonia through Skopje 135 Introduction 135 Of the many Macedonias 137 EU and (North) Macedonia 140 "Skopje 2014" and the making of (North) Macedonia 142 Performing and distorting EUrope 146 Conclusion 149 Notes 151 Bibliography 151 8. From Western Balkans to the world: Unravelling EUrope and Europeanization 155 Of Europeanization 156 Europeanization is not necessarily a force for good in and of itself 157 Europeanization is too broad, and yet too narrow of a concept 157 EUrope and Europeanization are both pervasive and ubiquitous, yet permanently deferred 158 EUrope and Europeanization are given as teleological 159 Of EU-Western Balkans relations 160 Of Europe: performed, staged, simulated 164 Staging 165 Simulating 166 Bibliography 168 Index 171 "This book provides a critical understanding of Europeanization and statebuilding in the Western Balkans, using the notion of everyday practices. This volume argues that it is everyday and mundane events which provide the entry points to showcase a broader set of practices of Europeanization in countries outside the EU. It does this by tracing notions of Europeanization in the everyday statebuilding of Kosovo; Europe Day celebrations in Bosnia and Herzegovina; urban politics in Tirana; and space and place making in Skopje. In doing so, the book shows that everyday events tell us that as much as it is about changing structures, institutions and economic models, Europeanization is also about changing behaviours and ideas in populations at large. At the same time, the work shows that countries outside the EU use everyday events to perform their belonging to Europe. This book will be of much interest to students of European Studies, Balkan politics, statebuilding, and International Relations generally"-- Provided by publisher