Public endorsement by 77 prominent academics from around the world

Public endorsement by 77 prominent academics from around the world

The Republic of Kosova is heading to new snap elections on the 14th of February 2021.

These elections come after the recent verdict of the Constitutional Court regarding the legitimacy of Avdullah Hoti’s Government, voted on the 3rd of June 2020, which ruled that Kosova has been governed by an illegitimate government for seven months.

The unconstitutional government formed by the right-wing LDK was established after overthrowing the leftist and reformist Government led by Albin Kurti of Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE!. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Kosovar society was truly in need of the exemplary management the Kurti government was able to provide, the LDK coordinated with other parties of the old elites and created an intense false media coverage. When it also was endorsed and forcefully pushed upon the Kosovar people by President Trump’s former special emissary, Richard Grenell, this initiative brought down the Kurti government and created an unconstitutional replacement government in order to push forward a not adequately negotiated deal between Kosova and Serbia. This deal was supposed to serve as a foreign policy trophy for Trump’s electoral campaign. This project has resulted in record numbers of infections with and deaths of citizens from COVID-19; in a dire social and economic situation and in a situation undermined by the rampant corruption of government officials and their cliques. This has been a in this country unprecedented case of a parliamentary coup.

Now that Kosova is heading to new elections, there is a major political shift in support of the policies presented by Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE!, which build on two main goals: Jobs and Justice.

We maintain that these issues are not only peculiar to Kosova, but they are of a global relevance. The neoliberal paradigm unites all kinds of fronts, parties and people in the struggle against it. But in order to stand a living chance, it is imperative to support each other mutually and display solidarity as forcefully as we can when needed.

Therefore, we as signatories express our support for the VETËVENDOSJE Movement! and for Kurti in the upcoming elections. We sincerely believe that his government will provide a new beginning in this difficult but necessary battle, against the background of the current events in the Republic of Kosovo. In situations like the present, such a belief and conviction is more important than the current reality and its apparent demands. This is something that Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! and Kurti gave to the people of his country in its first tenure, a hope that one can have a political conviction and belief one uncompromisingly stands for. This will serve as a precondition for any transformation of the reality in Kosova.

Signatories:

1. Slavoj Žižek, International Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities
2. Alenka Zupančič, research advisor at the Institute of Philosophy, Scientific Research Center of the Slovene Academy of Sciences
3. Mladen Dolar, Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Philosophy, University of Ljubljana.
4. Frank Ruda, senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of Dundee, Scotland
5. Gabriel Tupinambá, psychoanalyst, member of Circle of Studies of Idea and Ideology, postdoctoral researcher at Philosophy Department at UFR
6. Matthew Flisfeder, Associate Professor, University of Winnipeg.
7. Natalia Romé, professor and researcher at the Gino Germani Research Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Buenos Aires
8. Katerina Kolozova, professor of political philosophy, ISSH-Skopje
9. Stefano Pippa, Research Fellow in Political Philosophy, University of Milano-Bicocca Building U6
10. Todd McGowan, professor of theory and film at the University of Vermont
11. Ted Stolze, professor of philosophy, Cerritor College, L.A.
12. Michael Marder, Ikerbasque Research Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)
13. Gavin Walker, Associate Professor of History, McGill University
14. Boštjan Nedoh, research fellow, ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana
15. Fabio Vighi, Professor of Critical Theory and Italian, Cardiff University 
16. Mariana Gainza, Researcher of CONICET, Buenos Aires
17. David Pavón Cuéllar, professor at UMSNH, Morelia  Michoacán, Mexico.
18. Vittorio Morfino, associate professor of History of Philosophy at the University of Milan-Bicocca
19. Ceren Özselçuk, Associate Professor of Sociology, Boğaziçi University, Turkey
20. Jela Krečič, philosopher, cultural theorist, lecturer at University of Ljubljana
21. Alexander Stagnell, Senior Lecturer in rhetoric, Södertörn University
22. Warren Montag, Brown Family Professor of Literature at Occidental College in Los Angeles
23. Daniel Hartley, Assistant Professor of World Literatures in English at Durham University
24. Jason Read, professor of philosophy, University of Southern Maine
25. Zahi Zalloua, Cushing Eells Professor of Philosophy and Literature, Whitman College
26. Dimitris Vardoulakis, associate professor of philosophy, Western Sydney University
27. Christian Ingo Lenz Dunker, Full Professor at Psychology Department Universidade de São Paulo – Brasil
28. Justin Clemens, Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia. 
29. Sophie Wahnich, director of research in political science at the CNRS
30. Rodrigo Nunes, professor of modern and contemporary philosophy at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)
31. Nick Nesbitt, Professor of French at Princeton University
32. Riccardo Bellofiore, professor of Political Economy at the University of Bergamo (Italy)
33. Alex Taek-Gwang Lee, Professor of Cultural Studies at Kyung Hee University, Seoul
34. Ray Brassier, Professor of Philosophy, American University of Beirut
35. Eric Alliez, philosopher, professor at Université Paris 8
36. Vladimir Safatle, Titular Professor at the Universidade de São Paulo, Department of Philosophy
37. Bue Rubner Hansen, postdoctoral fellow, University of Jena
38. Dominiek Hoens, senior lecturer at RITCS, School of Arts, Brussels
39. Isabelle Garo, philosopher, Paris 
40. Jelica Šumič, research advisor, ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana
41. Rado Riha, senior research fellow Institute of Philosophy, Centre for Scientific Research at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
42. Daniel Tutt, Professorial Lecturer at George Washington University
43. Wendy Brown, Class of 1936 First Professor, Political Science, UC Berkeley
44. Sheila Kunkle, Associate Professor in the College of Individualized Studies, Metropolitan State University, St. Paul. Minnesota
45. Michael Hardt, professor of literature, Duke University 
46. Kohei Saito, associate professor of political economy at Osaka City University.
47. Yitzhak Melamed, Charlotte Bloomberg Professor of Philosophy, John Hopkins         
48. Roberto Esposito, professor of philosophy,Scuola Normale Superiore 
49. Kim Stanley Robinson, novelist
50. Silvia Hernandez, professor and researcher in Gino Germani Institute of Social Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, Buenos Aires University
51. Michael Löwy, emeritus research director, CNRS, Paris
52. Benjamin Noys, Professor of Critical Theory at the University of Chichester (UK)
53. Étienne Balibar, professor of philosophy, Kingston University
54. Catherine Malabou, professor of philosophy, Kingston University
55. Gisle Selnes, Professor in Comparative Literature, University of Bergen, Norway
56. Yahya Madra, associate professor of economics, Drew University
57. Pietro Bianchi, Assistant Professor, English Department, University of Florida
58. Sigi Jottkandt, associate professor, UNSW, Sydney
59. Athena Athanasiou, Professor of Social Anthropology, Panteion University 
60. Paul Livingston, Associate professor, University of New MexicoUniversity of New Mexico
61. Gregor Moder, University of Ljubljana
62. Maria Aristodemou, professor of Law
63. Hasana Sharp, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, McGill University
64. Laurent de Sutter, professor of law, Brussels
65. Adrian Johnston, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of New Mexico
66. Nick Srnicek, King’s College, London
67. Marc de Kesel, Titus Brandsma Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
68. Jamil Khader, professor of English, Bethlehem University, Palestine 
69. Rodrigo Gonsalves, practicing psychoanalyst/philosopher, São Paulo, Brazil
70. Sotiris Mitralexis, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Winchester         
71. Carolina Collazo, Professor and Researcher at Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Buenos Aires
72. Marilena Chaui, professor of modern philosophy, University of São Paulo, Brazil
73. Bill Bowring, professor of law, Birkbeck College, London
74. Michael Roberts, economist, London
75. A. J. Bartlett, philosopher and teacher; Secretary of the Melbourne School of Continental Philosophy
76. Oliver Feltham, professor of philosophy, American University of Paris
77. Ricardo Espinoza Lolas, philosopher, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso