Performing Victimhood Nationalism: Remembering the Battle of Košare in Serbia’s Politics of Memory

This article examines how the so-called Battle of Košare, fought during the Kosovo War (1998–1999) and primarily remembered by veterans and families, has become a focal point of Serbia’s official commemoration practices. It analyses the 20th anniversary of the battle as a theatrical event that interweaves victimhood and heroism through documentary theatre, music, and film. Drawing on memory studies, media, and performance analysis, the article demonstrates how the commemoration reinforces Serbia’s victimhood narrative by mobilising emotions as cultural practices and employing theatrical forms of communication that shape and transmit these emotions. It further highlights how the cultural heritage of the Kosovo myth is reactivated and (ab)used for political purposes, showing how war memories and moral grief are strategically constructed to sustain a militarised, state-sponsored memory culture.