Adea Batusha is a sociologist of education who graduated from Uppsala University. She is the Executive Director of the Institute for Research, Action, and Educational Policy (HAPA). She has over five years of experience as a researcher, with expertise in qualitative research and a strong interest in tackling inequality through education. Adea’s focus lies in understanding how education can address societal divides and promote social cohesion in post-conflict areas. Her research involved administering seven focus groups with 39 students and conducting interviews with teachers, focusing on pedagogical practices and student perceptions in four border cities in Kosovo and Serbia. She explored how proximity to the border shapes interethnic relations, with the border acting as both a physical and political divide. Adea highlighted how post-conflict education impacts social cohesion in these regions, where negative peace still prevails in all the border cities. She emphasized the positive example of Bujanovac/Bujanoc, where civil society efforts and the willingness of students fostered greater interethnic interaction. Adea’s study underlined the importance of these practices in strengthening social cohesion across border regions.
You can download her research HERE.