The Symbolism of Impotence: Intellectuals and Serbian-Albanian relations in a Post-Yugoslav Period

Intellectuals are very important social actors, particularly conspicuous in societies dominated by nationalism, because they have the capacity to sift through a rich national/ethnic tradition, selecting specific moments and elements, which they then combine or emphasize in such a way as to create causal explanations, thus producing a given national ideology. They are, therefore, an irreplaceable ally to different fractions of political elites, when they are not themselves in positions of political power. Their primary role is the production of political ideas and ideals, among which the concept of the nation ranks highly. The history of eastern and southeastern Europe, as well as many other parts of the world, testifies to the the important position of intellectuals from the formation of the very first national movements, all the way to the present, where they are commonly engaged as leaders of the government opposition or pillars and legitimizers of the powers that be.