Buying and selling in the Balkans: the case of Kosovo

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Abstract

The study analyzes from the anthropological viewpoint the transformation of trade relations, trade transactions, the inclusion of men and women of different ages, representatives of various ethnic groups, religions and strata of society in the circulation of goods and services in the territory of Kosovo/Kosovo and Metohija at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. From a quiet “province” of the Ottoman Empire, royal Yugoslavia and the SFRY, the historical region has turned into the forefront of confrontation between both Balkan elites and international forces. Leaving aside, as far as possible, the multi-vector discussion regarding the status of the territory/region/state, the author focuses on the social and cultural aspects of the type of activity and economic sphere that directly and acutely affect all residents of the region without exception – be they Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Gorans or Roma, Muslims or Christians, rich, poor or middle class – namely, trade. Growing all over the world, both in the business community and among professional researchers studying culture and society, the interest in corporate anthropology is due to the importance of the ethnic factor in the development strategy of individual states and the global economy, and this involves the collection of empirical data and an attempt to assess the risks of conducting business, trade, scientific and other projects that directly affect people’s lives and influence their social “well-being”.

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About the authors

Alexander A. Novik

Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: njual@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1123-1109

к. и. н., заведующий центром европейских исследований, ведущий научный сотрудник

Russian Federation, 3 University Emb., St. Petersburg, 199034

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2. Fig. 1. Charshia. Kosovo, Pec (Peja). August 2022 Photo by the author

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3. Fig. 2. Street trading. Kosovo, Pec (Pegeia). August 2008. Photo by the author

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4. Fig. 3. In the shopping center “Toptani”. Albania, Tirana. September 2023. Photo by the author

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5. Fig. 4. “Buy me – I will reward you” (Alb. Më blej – të shpërblej). Locally produced juices on the counter of a chain store. Kosovo, Pristina. August 2022. Photo by the author.

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