Sacred Journey to a Nation: the Construction of a Shrine in Postwar Kosovo

Authors: Schwandner-Sievers, S. and Di Lellio, A.

Journal: Journeys: The International Journal of Travel and Travel Writing

Volume: 7

Issue: 1

Pages: 27-49

ISSN: 1465-2609

Abstract:

The site of an infamous Serb massacre of a militant Albanian extended family in March 1998 has become the most prominent sacred shrine in postwar Kosovo attracting thousands of Albanian visitors. Inspired by Smith’s (2003) ‘territorialization of memory’ as a sacred source of national identity and MacCannell’s (1999 [1976]) five-stage model of ‘sight sacralization’, this article traces the site’s sacred memorial topography, its construction process, its social and material reproductions, and adds a sixth stage to the interpretation – the ‘political reproduction’. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, the commemorative literature emanating from this shrine and on numerous interviews with core protagonists (including former guerrilla) and visitors, the article explores the ways in which the religious themes of martyrdom and sacrifice, as well as traditionalist ideals of solidarity and militancy, are embodied at the site and give sense to a nationwide celebration of ethno-national resistance, solidarity and independence.

Source: Manual

Preferred by: Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers