Montenegrins of Kosovo

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Montenegrins are a South Slavic people who are primarily associated with the Montenegro. They form an ethnic minority in Kosovo, a disputed province of the Republic of Serbia.

The Montenegrins were primarily concentrated in the municipalities of Peć, Pristina, Kosovska Mitrovica, Istok, Dečani, and Đakovica, until 1961. In the period from 1961–1981, the Montenegrins disappeared from 243 settlements, which, combined with the 760 settlements that had no Montenegrin inhabitants in 1961, gives a total of 1,003 settlements without a single Montenegrin inhabitant. As a result of conflicts with the ethnically dominant Albanians, many Montenegrins moved from Kosovo to Montenegro or to Serbia proper.

The Republic of Kosovo has in December 2008 officially recognized the Montenegrin national minority in Kosovo.^[1][2][3]

History

Allegations of discrimination by Albanians

During the Albanian demonstrations in Kosovo, Montenegrins along with Serbs were allegedly targeted, particularly in regions where they were more significantly outnumbered by Albanians. Responding to a survey presented to the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, one respondent from Kosovo said, "Relations in the settlement were bad. Young Albanians started carrying nationalistic symbols, spitting at the old Serbs and Montenegrins, beating up Serb and Montenegrin children, threatening, toting knives and chains."^{[citation needed]}

Women from emigrant Serb and Montenegrin families surveyed claimed harassment and even physical assaults, especially when they went out without male accompaniment, even in bigger towns. According to many of the Kosovar respondents, Serbian and Montenegrin girls were not even safe at school. Because of the dangers lurking on the way to and from school, and in school itself, many girls dropped out.^{[citation needed]}

There were also reports of economic discrimination, with Serb and Montenegrin vendors being boycotted or Serbian and Montenegrin customers being treated rudely or unfairly by Albanian shop workers. Serb and Montenegrin men and women complained of unfair hiring policies and discrimination on the job, with, as one example, Serbs and Montenegrins being required to exhibit proficiency in Albanian, while Albanian employees were not tested for multilingual skills. Montenegrins and Serbs reported being edged out of managerial positions through early retirement or closing down of jobs—particularly in the fields of education, where it was claimed their services were less necessary with the dwindling number of Serb and Montenegrin children—through transferral to other jobs, deprivation of rights or outright dismissal.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

• 1948 census - 28,050 (3.9%)
• 1953 census - 31,343 (3.9%)
• 1961 census - 37,588 (3.9%)
  • Pejë - 12,701 (33.8%)
• 1971 census - 31,555 (2.5%)
• 1981 census - 27,028 (1.7%)
• 1991 census - 20,365 (1%)
• 1995 unofficial estimate - around 7,000 (0.3%)

See also

• Montenegrins of Serbia
• Serbs of Kosovo
• Albanians in Kosovo

References

1. ^ "Crnogorci priznati na Kosovu". Radio Slobodna Evropa. 21 December 2008. http://www.slobodnaevropa.org/archive/news/20081221/500/500.html?id=1361993. Retrieved 25 December 2008. 
2. ^ "Kosovski Crnogorci". BRAND. 24 December 2008. http://www.brandmagazin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2526&Itemid=32l. Retrieved 25 December 2008. 
3. ^ "Crnogorci priznati na Kosovu". Radio Television of Montenegro. 21 December 2008. http://www.rtcg.org/index.php?news&read=35427. Retrieved 25 December 2008. 

• Petrović, Ruža and Marina Blagojević (June 7, 1988) "The Migration of Serbs and Montenegrins from Kosovo", SANU, Department of Social Studies. Reproduced. Accessed September 3, 2007.