Conceptual Metaphors of Youth in Prishtina on Democracy and the Future

This study examines how young people in Prishtina conceptualize democracy, European integration, political participation, and the future through metaphorical language. Based on interviews and questionnaire responses from 70 participants aged 18–25, it finds that democracy is commonly imagined as fragile, unfinished, or malfunctioning, while European integration appears as a long journey or closed door. The future is described through both hopeful and uncertain images, including growth, light, fog, and difficult roads. Metaphors of youth political voice reveal feelings of exclusion and limited influence, showing how language expresses young people’s political emotions, expectations, and institutional distrust.