Almost Sovereign: Kosovo's NEWBORN Monument and the Indeterminacy of the State

• In Event: 3151 - Theory Section Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 5. Identity Construction, Social Differentiation and Conflict – A

Abstract

In downtown Pristina, the capital city of Kosovo, stands an eighty-foot steel sculpture of the English word, ‘N-E-W-B-O-R-N.’ Built to commemorate Kosovo’s 2008 independence from Serbia, the monument represents the country as a multi-ethnic democracy and aspiring member of international organizations. Although Serbia contests Kosovo’s sovereignty (preventing its membership in the EU, UN, and NATO), each year on the anniversary of Kosovo’s independence, NEWBORN is repainted to express a new theme chosen by the designer. These themes are intended to depict the issues facing the country and draw the attention of international spectators—but they are repeatedly challenged by individual citizens who subvert the messaging through anonymous pranks and other interventions. The paper analyzes the visual and semantic content of NEWBORN’s façades between 2008-2017 and the unsettled relations of power among the designer, the Kosovo government, and the pranksters to underscore the indeterminacy of the Kosovo state and its legitimacy—whether or not Kosovo is technically a sovereign entity and who is responsible for administering its monopoly of force. Whereas the literature on monuments and national symbols often fails to provide a critical account of power and agency, theories of political sovereignty and state power do not usually consider shifting symbolic meanings. By conceptualizing both the monument and the state it symbolizes, the paper illuminates the power of those who appear to be powerless and the inefficacy of the actors who appear to be in control.

Author

• Alissa Boguslaw, Coe College