CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Hyseni, Siljana |
|---|---|
| Title | Between Silencing and Survival: Roma Experiences and the Politics of Security in the Kosovo War |
| Summary | Abstract This thesis dives into the realm of critical security studies, questioning who gets to define (in)security and highlighting how certain voices are often left out of the security conversation. It builds on the securitization theory from the Copenhagen School and engages with postcolonial and emancipatory critiques that reveal its epistemological shortcomings—especially its reliance on elite speech acts and institutional acknowledgment. By utilizing Sarah Bertrand’s framework of silencing—locutionary silencing, illocutionary frustration, and illocutionary disablement—this research reinterprets securitization as a process that not only includes but also systematically excludes subaltern voices. Additionally, it brings in Ali Bilgic’s idea of emancipatory security to redefine agency as something that arises from everyday acts of survival, care, and refusal, rather than just from institutional recognition. Together, these frameworks allow fora nuanced analysis of silence and agency, challenging the notion that security is solely created through formal political discourse. Through a qualitative case study of the Roma during the Kosovo War (1998–1999), this thesis applies this combined analytical approach to semi-structured interviews and historical analysis, uncovering how Roma communities were made invisible by the prevailing Serbian, Albanian, and international security narratives. It shows how their voices were often dismissed, distorted, or even punished, while also highlighting how Roma individuals engaged in grassroots security-making practices despite being epistemically excluded. By connecting Bertrand’s critique of silencing with Bilgic’s focus on subaltern agency, the thesis offers a more inclusive and decolonial perspective on security—one that acknowledges security as a contested and lived experience shaped by voice, resistance, and the ongoing fight for recognition |
| Supervisor | Paul Roe |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/hyseni_siljana.pdf |
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