Public History and Memory Culture Colloquium: Talk by Bleona Kurthesi (seeFField Pre-Doc Fellow)

Invitation to the first session of the Colloquium on Public History and Memory Culture where our Pre-Doc Fellow-Bleona Kurteshi-presents her research.

“Memory and Future-Making through Externally Funded Projects in Kosova in the Aftermath of the 1998–1999“ 

This presentation introduces her PhD project that explores how externally funded memory initiatives in post-war Kosova shape understandings of the past and visions of the future, including narratives around peacebuilding and European integration. The talk will also reflect on the process of developing the PhD project, highlighting the choice of topic from both personal and political perspectives. It discusses the formulation of research questions and the challenges involved in studying memory work in a context closely connected to the researcher. The presentation offers insights into whether memory initiatives funded by international donors and implemented by NGOs operate within complex local and transnational networks.

Bleona Kurteshi (M.A.) studied Sociology at the University of Prishtina and is currently a pre-doctoral fellow in the seeFField project at the University of Regensburg.