Twenty years on from the end of war the status of the north of Kosovo remains disputed. Ten
years on from Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia the north's predominantly Serb
population continues to resist integration. Education health and other vital services
continue to be provided by Serbia. These latent tensions regularly surface through various
forms of resistance including protests and barricades (most notably those of 2011) resistance
which has many historical precedents. Ian Bancroft provides an original ethnographic account of
the reality in north Kosovo mixing first-hand interviews and anecdotes with historical
background and academic insight. He explores a diverse array of themes including the Trepca
mines religious and cultural life and the Main Bridge over the river Ibar which has become a
symbol of the divided town of Mitrovica. Bancroft examines memories of the war and 2004 riots
and the daily realities of local governance and politics in a post-war environment. The book
also goes to the heart of the border boundary regions the multi-ethnic Bosnjacka Mahala and
mixed areas on the periphery to tell the stories of those caught-up on the front-lines of
conflict. As such it offers valuable insights for aspiring peacebuilders into the challenges
of working in a context of considerable complexity.
