ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 introduces the reader into the everyday life of post-war Kosovo. It covers the conflict background, the international and local actors that negotiate peacebuilding at local level, and important aspects of everyday life such as the struggle for survival, the aspirations for freedom and a better life, and the high polarisation of the Kosovo status question. A better understanding of these aspects of Kosovo everyday life provides valuable insights into the motivations of domestic actors when interacting with their international counterparts and into how and why reform capture takes place for domestic priorities of socio-economic development, political power or Kosovo status.
