Lost in dialogue: studying the development of identity discourse in the Kosovo-Serbia conflict

Abstract

This study explores the role of identity discourses and language in conflict resolution as a potential explanation for the observed practical failure of the EU-led Normalization Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. While existing scholarship focuses predominantly on the European Union’s mediating role in the dialogue, this study adopts a constructivist approach by emphasizing the agency of Kosovo and Serbia in shaping conflict dynamics through identity discourses instead. This study is grounded by the two foundational theoretical claims that identity formation of states matters in the normalization of relations, and that these relations can only normalize if identity discourses and language normalize. This study, therefore, examines the development of discursive encounters between Kosovo and Serbia in the UN Security Council from January 2011 to February 2024 to conclude whether the discourses and language usage of both have normalized as a prerequisite for the normalization of relations. Findings reveal a clear antagonistic trend in both Kosovo’s and Serbia’s identity discourses, evolving from predominantly constructive partnership to mutual threat perception, thus framing each other increasingly as existential threats to the Self. Therefore, the Normalization Dialogue has failed to, first and foremost, normalize Kosovo’s and Serbia’s discourses and language on the international arena. The study underscores the significance of identity and discourse in conflict resolution and contributes by providing insights in the importance of the normalization of discourses and language for conflict resolution. In line, it suggests that the European Union should prioritize discourse and language normalization, prior to the implementation of agreements.