IN-PERSON Lisbon Livable Cities. Section B
Abstract
Almost every family in Kosovo has at least one member living abroad. People have migrated for various reasons—economic, political, personal, and more. Migrants have contributed significantly to Kosovo—not only to the well-being of their families but also to their country of origin. Their contributions include building sports fields and recreational spaces for youth, preserving cultural heritage, participating in village clean-up initiatives, purchasing garbage bins, promoting their homeland, and more. Although they may not live in their home country year-round, migrants strive to remain connected through various forms of activism. This presentation will focus on several case studies, highlighting the role of migrants as activists in different villages across Kosovo. It will explore how they have organized themselves and what it truly means to invest in one’s homeland. Has distance made them feel even closer to their country? What messages do they wish to pass on to their children? Has the country they migrated to inspired them to better preserve cultural heritage and the cultural landscape? Through interviews with migrants, we will seek to understand the answers to these questions.
Zanita Halimi has completed doctoral studies at the University of Vienna, producing a dissertation on family photography in Kosovo. She directs the program for Visual Ethnography at the Institute for Social and Humanistic Studies and is also a professor in the Department of Anthropology, at the University of Prishtina. She is a member of the International Anthropology Association for Southeast Europe, and in recent years has been involved in many international projects supported by USAID, UNICEF, CHWB, U.S. Embassy. From 2021 she is part of the Borad of the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage.
Artan Krasniqi holds a PhD from the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina.” Since October 2014, he has served as a teaching assistant within the same department, contributing to a range of courses in the field of culture. He currently serves as the Chair of the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage. Between 2009 and 2019, he was affiliated with the Koha media group, where he worked as a cultural journalist and editor. He is the author of six volumes in the Monument series, published by KOHA Publishing, which focus on the material cultural heritage of Kosovo.
Kreshnik Bajraktari has finished the Ma studies in Journalism and Communication. He is actually PhD student in the Institute for studies of Alban ology. Now, he is director of Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage. He participated in different program and conferences related to cultural heritage.
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Friday 11th July, 2025