ABSTRACT Unprecedented levels of displacement make the return of refugees and internally displaced populations a critical challenge, with post-conflict minority return especially complex. This article investigates the return process in Kosovo to identify what supports and hinders sustainability. For nearly two decades the Government of Kosovo and international partners have supported the return of minorities displaced during the 1998–1999 conflict and March 2004 riots. We draw on interviews with all major stakeholder groups in return programming and on indicative survey data from 499 returnees. Using a framework adapted from Black, Koser and Munk (‘Understanding Voluntary Return’), we focus on the Kosovo return process in recent years. The survey results indicate some sustainability but high differentiation in returnees’ satisfaction. This warrants concern, as differences in returnee perspectives run along already conflictual ethnic and spatial fault lines. In post-conflict settings, sustainable return and reintegration require more than the provision of services – they require nuanced understanding of how the shadow of conflict shapes returnee experiences. Finally, we question the orthodoxy of return discourse and highlight critical factors to support sustainable return elsewhere.

中文翻译：

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少数族裔与科索沃境内可持续的难民返回和重返社会

摘要前所未有的流离失所程度使难民和国内流离失所者的返回成为一个严峻的挑战，冲突后的少数群体回返尤其复杂。本文调查了科索沃的返回过程，以确定哪些因素支持和阻碍了可持续性。近二十年来，科索沃政府和国际伙伴一直支持在1998-1999年冲突和2004年3月骚乱期间流离失所的少数民族的返回。我们利用对所有主要利益相关者群体的回访计划进行访谈，并利用来自499名回返者的指示性调查数据。我们采用布莱克，科泽尔和蒙克（“了解自愿返回”）的框架，着眼于近年来的科索沃返回过程。调查结果表明，在可持续性上，返回者的满意度差异很大。这值得关注，因为返回者观点的差异沿着已经冲突的种族和空间断层线发展。在冲突后的环境中，可持续的回归和重返社会所需要的不仅仅是提供服务，还需要对冲突的阴影如何影响返回者体验的细微了解。最后，我们质疑收益话语的正统观念，并强调支持其他地方可持续收益的关键因素。