Inter-ethnic marriages among antagonistic nations: Positive media discourse about Albanian women and Serbian men

Abstract

This is a study about inter-ethnic marriages between the members of two antagonistic nations in the Western Balkans: Serbian and Albanian. The first part of the paper describes the geographical and socio-cultural framework of the research, along with presenting key historical factors that have contributed to the long-lasting antagonism between the above-mentioned ethnic groups. The second part of the paper is an analysis of media coverage of inter-ethnic marriages between Serbian men and Albanian women. By depicting the socio-cultural context in which these "ordinary" people have founded their marriages, some gender-related issues were opened and the binding of various historical, cultural, and demographic factors that are reflected in the lives of the "invisible" Albanian women in Serbia was shown. Their "invisibility" and marginalization have been deepened by the absence of their administrative status in Serbia, the absence of the right to healthcare, social protection, and the complete economic dependence on a man/husband. As a result of this, the marginalization, invisibility, and submission of these women to the will of their husbands is another example of the reproduction of strong patriarchy in the Western Balkans in the 21st century.