This thesis , through critical discourse analysis and thirty - eight in - depth interviews, examines the discursive construction of UK Kosovo Albanian D iaspora iden tity by Kosovo Albanians in both the UK and Kosovo. S imultaneously , I explore how identity and national and cultural belonging are multidirectional and shaped by both a diasporic host society and a homeland context . Although s cholarshi p on migration and diasporas is prolific, t hi s thesis argues that due to prev ious predominant scholarly focus on host context s over homeland contexts , current scholarship is limited and limiting. The analysis highlights the ‘Neither Here Nor There’ phenomenon, which suggests that Kosovo Albanians in the UK do not passively identify with a homeland identity or necessarily with a host society identity, and that this identity is multiple and context bound. The empirical chapters demonstrate that homelands are not passive distant and ‘imagined’ places but politically active agents who seek to tap into their diasporas through opaque power and what I term distance based biopolitics to construct and benefit from the diaspora . My analyses also demonstrate s that ‘othering’ discourses are not exclusive to host societies but are also present in the discourses of Kosovo Albanians in Kosovo and within the diaspora communities . I explore h omeland stereotypes such as the ‘Schatzi’ phenomenon , which are embedded discursively and ideologically in Kosovo and function to construct and ‘other’ the Kosovo Albanian Diaspora, especi a lly in Germany and Switzerland. Whilst, the UK - based diaspora is often attributed with a cultural sophistication and ‘mentality’ th at makes them more accepted in Kosovo . Therefore this research suggests that to understand diaspora complexities also requires focus on the imagined diaspora and its relationship(s) with the homeland . This thesis also provides an original contribution by extending current debates and theories about migration , diaspora and identity and by highlighting how Kosovo Albanians already settled in the UK view and discursively construct their position and identities with the UK. Coupled with all these elements, my work contribute s to migration, diaspora and identity studies as well as to studies about Kosovo Albanians in the UK, which are still lacking.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:690915 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Paca, Dafina |
| Publisher | Cardiff University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://orca.cf.ac.uk/93697/ |
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