Intersubjective legitimacy and the failure of Kosovo’s authoritarian peace

Abstract

ABSTRACT Legitimacy is traditionally the province of peacebuilding schools which pursue positive peace, but it is salient in illiberal contexts too. In this article I make the case that the concept of intersubjective legitimacy gives Authoritarian Conflict Management (ACM) theory the tools to address the processes of (de-)legitimation. It also highlights the interdependence of ACM’sdiscursive, spatial, and economic means of control. This elaborates ACM and thus makes a theoretical contribution to a growing research agenda on illiberal peacebuilding. I make a further, empirical contribution by illustrating my point with a study of the rise and fall of Kosovo’s old guard parties. They constructed an intersubjective environment using the means of ACM that allowed them to legitimate their governance despite grievances. The LVV movement was then able to break the intersubjectivity through actions of de-legitimation. My account therefore de-emphasises the influence of grievances alone and instead foregrounds active performances of legitimation in Kosovo.