Slavković Mirić, Božica (2023) Challenges of identity in Kosovo and Metohija in the period between the two wars. In: Challenges of identities, cultural heritage, the environment, sustainable development or tourism related to the new crises. Skopje : Center for Advanced Researches, pp. 59-67. ISBN 978-608-66817-2-2

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Abstract

Crises affect our lives, research and work. In times like these, the question of identity is always considered, so I wanted to look into the past and return to the important topic of the population of Kosovo and Metohija. Wars often affect identities, and in my article I will deal with the period between two important wars in history. Archival sources, professional literature and the press will help me in this. Kosovo and Metohija had and still have a favorable geographical position, but also a very good geopolitical importance and foreign policy position. The identity of the people in this area was marked by the way of life, because all communities lived in economic and social units within which each member had a specific role. Members of the Orthodox, Catholic and Islamic religious communities dominated, and Muslims made up almost ¾ of the population. The customs and traditions that form the backbone of the identity of each nation were especially preserved in this area. They represented a feature of the overall situation in Southern Serbia, where modernization proceeded slowly. Education, healthcare, industrialization were lagging behind the rest of the country. Nevertheless, the traditional way of life that largely shapes the identity of the population continued to be respected, and they represent the backbone of many ethnographic and historiographical studies. Even today, customs and beliefs are applied that are significant as characteristics of the people they belong to.

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