“The battle over the past will take place in political institutions, schools, and culture”

Prof. dr. SEAD TURČALO - Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Sarajevo [Bosnia and Herzegovina]

GENERATION OF LIVED HISTORY

The war does not end with the cessation of the conflict. Survivors continue to carry it deep inside them. The way post-war society relates to war affects individuals and shapes transgenerational memory.

• How has the generation that lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region during the wars in the former Yugoslavia – and especially during the genocide in Srebrenica – experienced and shaped this history in the past 30 years: through personal memories, reflections, but also through narratives in the media, films, books, textbooks and rituals of remembrance?

"For the last 30 years, this generation has transformed their trauma and experiences, consciously and unconsciously, into testimonies that shape our collective memory. Through personal memories and family stories, these intimate fragments of the past have become one of the aspects of informal education about what was experienced for those who have not witnessed it. This generation in the media discourse is the one that insists on the exact naming of the events, recalling the siege of Sarajevo, ethnic cleansing and genocide, in order to maintain the truth despite attempts of revision or denial. I believe that the institutionalization of memory is largely the work of that generation. I think that this generation, although burdened by trauma, has shown that history is not only a lived memory, but a living lesson for society and an important part of BiH's identity."

A GENERATION BORN IN HISTORY (THOSE BORN IN 1995)

Thirty years later, we are once again witnessing the shaping of history amidst political manipulations of narratives. That is why transgenerational memory is required to carry a culture of remembrance and responsibility to the truth – in the name of future generations who must learn how peace is built and preserved.

• How does a generation born in the year of the Srebrenica genocide today understand this history? And how did growing up in this heritage shape their sense of identity, memory, and responsibility?

"The generation of 1995 and post-95, although it does not have its own memory of that period, grew up in a society marked by its consequences. In many settings, aggression and crimes are openly talked about, while elsewhere they are silenced or even denied. Their understanding of the war was shaped indirectly: through family stories, media portrayals, and scarce school material. This is why the knowledge of this generation is often fragmented, although what I witness as someone working in the education sector, some among them seek to grasp a more complete truth about the past.

We can hardly look at this generation through a unique prism. I often see different experiences that I could group into those in which the war narrative has become a part of personal identity, and others who are trying at all costs to free themselves from the "burden" of the past because they perceive returning to war topics as fatigue. Somehow, it seems to me that the sense of responsibility of that generation born in 1995 and immediately after, moves between the duties of remembering the past and building the future. What is definite is that this generation cannot escape the shadow of aggression and suffering that continues to shape their values and attitudes through the family and social environment."

TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY DYNAMICS (1995-2025)

Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina is still marked by war traumas. Prevailing ethno-national policies keep citizens in fear, under constant threat of a new war – for their own interests. Politics has instrumentalized trauma.

• How – and whether – generations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the regions that lived through the wars in the former Yugoslavia, especially the events of 1995, and the generation born that same year have shaped mutual understanding of the past? To what extent are their views aligned today – and how do they differ?

"I believe that these two generations inevitably influence each other in understanding the past. Nevertheless, given some of our traditional limitations in openness in dialogue, which originate from both the education system and society in general, I am not sure how open the dialogue between generations is. Somewhere, this younger generation hears about the war firsthand and thus develops a certain mutual understanding. However, it seems to me that silence or selective storytelling is more common, which leaves gaps and misunderstandings between generations, either due to the trauma of the elderly who cannot speak, or due to the lack of interest of the younger generation in the "ancient" past.

I often recognize the diversity of generational perspectives, but the similarity of dissatisfactions. The elderly carry vivid war memories and a sense of injustice due to the suffering, while the younger ones know the war mainly indirectly, through facts and narratives, so they experience it more abstractly. But they also feel injustice and often frustration because of the consequences they suffer."

REGIONAL FUTURE: TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY, HERITAGE OR TRAUMA (2025-2055)

Thirty years after the war, ethnic identity still dominates the civic. In post-war society, the structure of ethnically divided space often makes civic initiatives impossible, as they are automatically attributed an ethnic sign.

• How could political, social, educational and cultural development in Bosnia and Herzegovina – and more broadly in the region – affect how transgenerational memory will be preserved, reinterpreted or denied in the next 30 years?

"Domestic politics, education and culture will determine whether war memories are preserved or distorted. If the political climate remains like the one we have been witnessing for the last three decades, the memory of war will still be a tool of politics. We will have a selective memory of history, glorifying criminals as heroes, and withholding the suffering of others. The struggle for the past will take place in political institutions, schools and culture, shaping the consciousness of new generations. I would like to witness an optimistic scenario in the coming decades in which unique, factual textbooks are introduced for the whole of BiH, ensuring that transgenerational memory rests on established facts instead of myths."

GLOBAL FUTURE: TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY, INDIFFERENCE OR REVISIONISM (1995-2025-2055)

In the modern world, geopolitics is rapidly conditioning historical narratives and transgenerational memory – openly trading influence in conflicts and party choices through daily-political revisionism.

• How could global political disruptions, conflicting international historical narratives, and changing norms on justice and human rights shape the ways in which knowledge of wartime events from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the region will be transmitted, challenged, or withheld across generations over the next 30 years?

"Global political movements will affect the transfer of memories of the wars of the 1990s. We already see that the rise of authoritarian regimes leads to stronger state support for the revisionist narratives of the Balkan conflicts.

Likewise, international norms of justice and human rights will also determine how these wars will be remembered. If we look at Gaza, then we see that the principle of "never again" is not so strong in the world. This should not discourage us from learning and teaching about the genocide against Bosniaks in and around Srebrenica and other crimes as universal lessons about the evil of war and the need for justice, to continue with continuous documentation and education both locally and globally. A special challenge is the media and the transmission of information at this time. In the post-digital age, the age of AI, disinformation is easily spread, conspiracy theories and distorted narratives about Yugoslavia's dissolution, wars, aggression against BiH, genocide and other crimes against humanity and international law are being developed. All this imposes on us a greater responsibility to inform and shape the attitudes of young people not only in the region, but also far beyond this region. Global circumstances will certainly affect whether the knowledge of the war events of the 1990s will be factually transmitted or will be contested and distorted, or perhaps will simply fade in the face of the challenges of the future, but it creates an obligation for us to act against those potentially negative forces."



The opinions and insights expressed in this text reflect solely the views of the author. We publish these contributions to encourage reflection and open space for diverse perspectives on the topic of transgenerational memory in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.