Ex-combatants as civic activists in post-conflict societies: KLA members in Kosovar civil society

ABSTRACT

Claiming that ex-combatants should be seen as addressing different societal needs in post-conflict societies through varied civic work, this study tries to answer how KLA ex-combatants perceive the roles they play in the civil life of post-conflict Kosovo and how they think their communities perceive them and their civic activities. It utilizes data from state, NGO, and international organizations’ reports, and 15 semi-structured in-depth interviews with the KLA ex-combatants. It shows that ex-combatants describe themselves as civic activists enthusiastic about helping their communities and rebuilding the post-conflict society. How KLA members perceive social relations in post-conflict Kosovo and their past experiences shape their understanding of the role of peacebuilding through civic activism, resulting in different perceptions of peace and their worth in their society.

KEYWORDS:

• Kosovo
• KLA
• ex-combatants
• civic life
• post-conflict societies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ayşe Betül Çelik

Lirika Agusholli is a researcher at Group for Legal and Political Studies in Pristina. Her research areas are international relations, foreign policy, diplomacy, and conflict resolution. She is a graduate of Conflict Resolution and Analysis at Sabanci University, Turkey (MA) and Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul University, Turkey (BA). Before joining GLPS, Lirika worked as a Teaching Assistant in Sabanci University for two years.

Ayşe Betül Çelik is Professor of political science and conflict resolution in Sabanci University’s Political Science and International Relations programme. She has previously been a visiting scholar at the American University (2009) and the University of Sydney (2013). Her research focuses on intergroup relations, peace processes, forced migration, and gender in peacemaking and peacebuilding, with a specific focus on Turkey’s Kurdish issue. Her work has appeared in journals such as Human Rights Quarterly, Journal of Refugee Studies, Europe–Asia Studies, International Migration, Security Dialogue, South European Society and Politics, European Journal of Women’s Studies, International Journal of Intercultural Relations and Cooperation and Conflict.