Multicultural minority rights policies’ effects on minority segregation: evidence from Albanians in Montenegro`s post-independence period

Abstract

Since its independence of 2006, Montenegro has brought multiculturalism in its constitutional and legal frameworks with the aim of integrating its Albanian national minority. And while the framework itself got praised by domestic politicians, European Union and Council of Europe, its results are unquestionably limited: In nearly three decades of expanding and altering of policies, Albanians maintained a perception of being discriminated against, have grown to perceive Montenegrins more distant to them annually and remain objectively to exist in a parallel society. The aim of this paper is to explain how this outcome came to be. Hinted by the existing literature of the potential opposite effects of multiculturalism in integration, which suggests that multiculturalism in practice could potentially backfire and contribute to the establishment of a parallel society, a causal mechanism was developed that attempts to explain how Montenegrin multicultural policies failed at integrating Albanians. The causal mechanism was driven by updating theoretical expectations with empirical observations. With gathered data from already published primary sources, interviews and public statements of actors, and analysed by case-centric outcome explaining process tracing, the study came up with a sufficient explanation of the failed multicultural framework. Its found that multicultural policies demanded by Albanian national minority parties aimed at their better representation in the parliament and performance in elections, were met when the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists needed their support in the elections. Initial provisions, dictated by Democratic Party of Socialist, like lowering of the elections threshold backfired and caused a fragmentation of Albanian national minority parties. This occurred at a time when Democratic Party of Socialists was at its prime, and multicultural demands could no longer be made or sustained. However, in a decline of popularity, Democratic Party of Socialists was again drawn to the now consolidated and ethno-nationalist grievance discourse reliant Albanian national minority parties. Lastly, ethno-nationalist discourse manifested itself, putting national separation of Albanians into salience and alternative positive framing to multiculturalism and integration into the Montenegrin society.