TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY refers to the transmission of historical experiences, traumas, and narratives from one generation to the next. It encompasses how individuals, families, communities, and societies pass on the meanings and consequences of past events, whether through education, storytelling, cultural practices, media, or institutional frameworks. More than just remembering, transgenerational memory shapes how history is understood, and either confronted or denied over time. It plays an important role in forming collective identity, influencing intergenerational relationships, and shaping how societies address injustice, conflict, and responsibility.
In regions where the past remains unresolved and its meaning deeply contested, the way we choose to remember, and to learn, shapes not only our understanding of history, but also carries a profound responsibility to preserve memory in the aftermath of war. It is not enough to record dates, facts, or events; what matters is how we interpret them and how we convey their lessons to future generations. Historical learning must help societies confront trauma, recognise patterns of harm, and understand how systems of exclusion and dehumanisation can escalate into atrocity. In this sense, education about the past is not simply about remembrance, it is about shaping the conditions for justice, accountability, and transgenerational memory.
This challenge is particularly visible in post-conflict societies where violence was not committed in secret, but in full view of institutions, local communities, and international actors. In such environments, the problem is not a lack of evidence, but rather a political struggle over how evidence is remembered, distorted or erased. The former Yugoslavia offers a powerful case study. In the aftermath of its disintegration, the newly formed states struggled to establish a consistent and accurate understanding of the events of the 1990s. Approaches to teaching history became fragmented and deeply politicised, allowing denial to take root, not only in how the wars are remembered, but also in how they are interpreted, distorted, and ultimately justified.
Such denial is not simply a rejection of a particular event. It is a structural and ongoing practice. It involves the removal of facts from public discourse, the repetition of misleading claims in the media, and the elevation of individuals responsible for violence into symbols of patriotism. When institutions fail to resist this process, they become part of the problem, which is why societies in the former Yugoslavia continue to grapple with transgenerational memory, where public discourse is shaped not by genuine engagement with the past but by its manipulation and suppression. The result is a fragile civic culture in which justice remains incomplete, truth is contested, and political leaders use historical revisionism as a tool to mobilise loyalty or division.
As we mark thirty years since the genocide in Srebrenica, we find ourselves facing three generations, each shaped by a distinct relationship to this history. The first generation is those who lived through the war and still confront a legacy of unresolved justice and contested truth. The second generation is those born at the end of the war in 1995, now turning thirty, who were raised in a society that often denied or distorted the facts about the war and its consequences. Many grew up without access to reliable information about the fall of Yugoslavia or were taught narratives that minimise or relativise war crimes and the genocide in Srebrenica. The arrival of a third generation, those to be born in 2025, offers both a challenge and an opportunity. What this generation will come to know in thirty years, and how they come to learn it, will depend on how we define, structure, and prioritise transgenerational memory.
This edition of the Knowledge Transfer Module is structured to offer a layered understanding of Srebrenica’s legacy thirty years after the genocide. It begins with a contextual background covering key phases of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the path to genocide, the failure of the so-called “protected zone,” and the role of international law. The second section delves into the broader question of how we learn about the past, featuring our 2015 public lecture and a video documentary animation. The core of the module is the Perceptions section, which brings together 24 prominent figures from the former Yugoslavia, each responding to five carefully curated questions designed to elicit diverse insights and perspectives on transgenerational memory. How does memory translate across generations, what conditions shape its transmission, and in what ways does it influence contemporary society? This edition of the Knowledge Transfer Module offers a structured tool for education, reflection, and critical engagement with the challenges of remembering Srebrenica across generations.