The Kosovo War (1998-99) left a devastating toll on the civilian population. Thousands of people - mostly Albanians - were killed, and many remain missing to this day. The deep trauma of these atrocities continues to haunt survivors and families, straining relations between Kosovo and Serbia. 

In an effort to restore visibility and dignity to the victims, political scientist Shkelzen Gashi has undertaken a detailed fact-finding mission. His new book, Massacres in Kosovo 1998–99, documents 83 massacres, shedding light on the human suffering, the identities of the victims, and the often incomplete or obstructed paths to justice.

Can books like Massacres in Kosovo 1998–99 help societies come to terms with the violence of the past? More than two decades after the war, a critical engagement with the causes and consequences of the atrocities remains limited. Many victims are still waiting for recognition, justice, and accountability. Although some legal steps have been taken to prosecute those responsible, progress has been slow and often politically fraught. We take a closer look at how far society has come in confronting this legacy - where the obstacles lie, what has been achieved through transitional justice mechanisms, and how current memory politics and lingering taboos continue to challenge the prospects for genuine reconciliation between communities.

Join us for a discussion with:

Shkëlzen Gashi studied Political Science at the University of Prishtina and earned a Master's degree in Democracy and Human Rights from the joint program of the Universities of Bologna and Sarajevo. He has worked as a researcher for various institutions and is the author of several books and numerous articles. In 2010, he published an unauthorized biography of Adem Demaçi, the prominent Kosovar dissident who spent 28 years in Yugoslav prisons.

Norbert Mappes-Niediek is a trained psychiatric nurse and holds a university degree in German and Dutch Philology. From 1992 to 2017, he worked as a freelance correspondent reporting on Southeast Europe. In 1994/95, he served as a political analyst for the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the former Yugoslavia. He is the author of eight books on the region, including Balkan Mafia (Berlin, 2003) and War in Europe: The Breakup of Yugoslavia and the Overstrained Continent (Rowohlt Berlin, 2022).

Robert Pichler is a historical anthropologist at the Institute for Habsburg and Balkan Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. He is President of the International Association for Southeast European Anthropology (InASEA) and a board member of the Center for Balkan Societies and Cultures (CSBSC). His research focuses on migration, kinship, nation-building, and visual culture in Southeastern Europe. In addition to his academic work, he is also active as a photographer at the intersection of documentary and fine art.

Milica Tomić is a contemporary artist and Chair of the Institute for Contemporary Art at Graz University of Technology. She has developed a politically and socially-minded body of work based on interdisciplinary, research-based practice that investigates political and economic violence, trauma, memory, and social amnesia through video, photography, installation, performance, and educational collaborations. She is a founding member of Grupa Spomenik and the initiator of the Four Faces of Omarska project. Milica has exhibited at major international biennials), where she presented a major new installation and performance project. Her current solo exhibition, "On Love Afterwards," is on view at Kunsthaus Graz in 2025.

The event will be held in English only, without translation.

In cooperation with the Institute for Habsburg and Balkan Studies, the Albanien-Instituts in Graz and the Steirische Landesbibliothek.