Obstaja KR, Republika Kosovo, ni KR, Kranj! Katastrofa! Antropološka študija identitete, skupnosti in posredovanja

This thesis examines the experiences of Albanian migrants, primarily from Kosovo, as they navigate Slovenian society, and explores how the local community in Slovenia responds to their presence. The fieldwork material was collected mainly in Kranj (as the primary ethnographic fieldwork) and Ljubljana (as secondary ethnographic fieldwork). The role of intercultural mediators, who serve as facilitators between Albanians from Kosovo and Slovenian individuals, is central to this study. The author sheds extra light on real-life examples and on how members of the local community interact with these intercultural mediators, their interactions with local institutions, and the challenges they encounter in their line of work. Despite being a relatively new and emerging profession in Slovenia, intercultural mediation holds its own significance and is essential to this study, as it broadens our scope and understanding of more complex problems such as unemployment, language and cultural barriers, racism, the assimilation process, and gender stereotypes. The purpose of the thesis is to highlight the inconveniences that arise in the process of integration and institutional support by focusing on the problematic issues in these areas. More importantly, it aims to offer new insights into how to reshape society’s beliefs in order to bridge this cultural divide.